


Luna Moth

by Anthemyst



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe of an Alternate Universe, F/M, Gabriel is not, Nathalie is Hawkmoth, based on a tumblr ask, if writing an au of your own au is wrong i don't want to be right, still kind of a dick though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-06-23 15:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15609702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthemyst/pseuds/Anthemyst
Summary: Nathalie Sancoeur wasn't looking to become a supervillain when she found the long-lost Butterfly Miraculous. She just wanted her boss to stop moping after his sorceress wife walked out. She never expected to fall for him in the process.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poppicock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppicock/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Wolf by the Ear](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9228962) by [Anthemyst](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthemyst/pseuds/Anthemyst). 



> Originally posted on Tumblr as a response to the ask: "how do you think [A Wolf By the Ear](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9228962/chapters/20930567) would play out if Nathalie was Hawkmoth , and Gabriel didn't check for a soulmark anymore due to heartbreak ;;"

Nathalie listened to the small purple fairy explain everything. Then she calmly stood up, went to her kitchenette, poured herself a glass of red wine, and downed it as fast as possible. She glanced across her apartment. Nooroo was still waiting for her on the other side of it, a polite but quizzical look on his face. Nathalie started to go back, then thought better of it and poured a second glass.

“Alright,” she said, sitting back down three glasses later, “explain everything again. In detail, from the beginning.”

Kwami. Miraculous. Temple. Grimoire. Destiny. Magic.

“Do you have any questions, Master?” Nooroo asked.

Master. Hmm. Nathalie was surprised to find she liked the sound of that, actually.

“Do you know Emilie Agreste?” Nathalie asked. Nooroo shook his head. “Are you sure? She’s an incredibly powerful sorceress. She held one of these things, a peacock one, you don’t know it?”

“That’s Duusu’s,” Nooroo said. “I know Duusu, but I haven’t been activated in over a hundred years. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about the whereabouts of the Miraculouses or their current holders.”

Nathalie let out an irritated huff. “The entire point of tracking you down was so I could find Emilie. She’s my employer’s wife, and he’s been completely useless ever since she walked out. I’ve hired every magical investigator in the country, and none of them could help at all. I can’t believe this is another dead end.”

“Don’t lose hope, Master,” Nooroo said cheerfully. “The Miraculouses always find their way to their holders for a reason. Perhaps with my powers, you can find a way to help your boss.”

Nathalie studied the brooch in her hand for a moment. “Could I give Gabriel the power to find her?” she asked.

“Oh, I doubt it,” Nooroo said. “If she’s as powerful as you say, I doubt anything short of the combined powers of Creation and Destruction could do it.”

Nathalie looked up. “Explain that, please.”

“Oh, it’s the major Miraculouses, you see,” Nooroo said helpfully. “The Ladybug Miraculous, powered by the kwami of Creation, and the Black Cat Miraculous, powered by the kwami of Destruction. Nothing in the world is more powerful that those two Miraculouses wielded by a single holder.”

“And how do I get those?” Nathalie asked.

Nooroo laughed. “Oh, you couldn’t,” he said. “The Guardian will keep them protected and only give them to worthy holders in times of great crisis. He won’t activate them for something like finding a runaway sorceress.”

“Great crisis?” Nathalie said. “Like, for example, a lost Miraculous being used to create dozens of supervillains run amok?”

“Oh, yes, that would-oh. _Oh_.” Nooroo’s face fell. “Oh, no, Master, please, you can’t-”

“Congratulations, Nooroo,” Nathalie said, pinning the brooch to her shirt just under the lapel of her blazer, “you’re not a dead end after all.”

 

* * *

 

_Gabriel Agreste_

Nathalie had been staring at the reflection of her boss’ signature in her bathroom mirror for about ten minutes now, but it stubbornly refused to disappear.

At the very edge of her field of vision, Nathalie could see Nooroo floating timidly. She sighed. “Just say it.”

“Aren’t you happy?” Nooroo asked her nervously. “This means… this means…”

“What?” Nathalie snapped. “That I can stop being Luna, is that what you’re thinking?”

“Well, it… it doesn’t really make sense anymore, does it? You were trying to get Gabriel his wife back, but now… now he’ll have you, right?”

Nathalie pursed her lips and turned away from her reflection. “We’re not…” she shook her head. “This makes absolutely no sense. Our relationship is purely professional.”

“Is it?” Nooroo hovered in front of Nathalie’s face. “Would you have gone to all the trouble of being Luna Moth if you didn’t care a great deal about him?”

“For the final time, it has nothing to do with how I feel about him. Gabriel Agreste has been a useless shell of himself since Emilie disappeared. I just want things back the way they were before she left.” Nathalie exited her bathroom and began pacing around her bedroom anxiously. “He’s… God, he’s already so fragile, Nooroo, this might kill the last shred of hope he has for getting Emilie back.”

“Why would he want Emilie back now? Now that you’re-”

“It’s not going to matter to him! He-” Nathalie shook her head and sank onto her mattress. “I’ve been feeling his emotions directly for over a year now, Nooroo. He has no interest in moving on from Emilie, none.”

“This may finally open his eyes, Nathalie.”

Nathalie was tempted to transform so she could feel Gabriel’s emotions more easily, more directly. She could sense them now, but outside of transformation her powers were hazy, and she didn’t sense anything particularly noteworthy from the Agreste manor. She sighed. “I’ll see how he feels at work tomorrow. Maybe you’re right.”

 

* * *

 

Feeling nothing from Gabriel Agreste hurt more than Nathalie expected.

He should have felt something, anything. Nathalie didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but she would have taken disappointment, disgust, fear, desolation, Nathalie would have taken anything over his usual cool detachment. Nathalie had long been a skeptic of soulmarks, but they meant _something,_ even to her.

“Just talk to him, Master,” Nooroo said.

Nathalie’s cheeks burned in embarrassment at the mere thought of bringing it up to Gabriel, after all that. “If he doesn’t want to do anything about the marks, neither do I. We’ll just continue on as usual.”

Every day at work was a fresh nightmare, every day Nathalie told herself she’d accepted Gabriel’s indifference and every day she was shown just how painfully wrong she was. It hurt every time. Nathalie held out one week, then two. In the meantime, akumatizations nearly doubled.

“You can’t keep going on like this, Master,” Nooroo finally said one day. “You’re becoming… unstable. You’re not like yourself.”

Nathalie glared at her kwami. “Maybe I’m becoming more like myself than ever,” she muttered. “I feel more like myself as Luna Moth than I ever do as Nathalie.”

“Oh, Master, don’t say that, of course you’re not-”

Suddenly, Nathalie sat up. “Nooroo. Nooroo, what if that’s it?”

“If what’s what, Master?”

“What if…” the thought was still forming in her mind, but Nathalie suddenly felt deadly certain she’d stumbled upon the answer. “What if it’s Luna who’s Gabriel’s soulmate, not Nathalie?”

Nooroo tilted his head. “I don’t understand.”

“Luna! Luna, the supervillainess with the Miraculous, it makes sense, doesn’t it? He’s in love with Emilie, after all, another powerful woman with a Miraculous. And Emilie was no hero, I assure you. Maybe _that’s_ the name that’s on Gabriel’s back. Luna Moth.” Nathalie looked at Nooroo. “It’s not impossible, is it?”

“No,” Nooroo said. “I’ve never heard of such a thing, but soulmarks are strange things. So are Miraculouses. It might explain Gabriel’s attitude, I suppose. But how on earth will you find out?”

Nathalie stood up from her desk. She was supposed to be arranging the modeling schedules for next quarter, while Gabriel reviewed the concept drawings the department heads had submitted to him for the Winter line. “Nooroo,” Nathalie said, a slight grin forming, “dark wings rise.”

 

* * *

 

Luna appeared behind Gabriel, and she took a moment to appreciate the sight. There was something oddly relaxing about Gabriel when he was caught up in his work. Everyone else was such a jumble of exhausting, irritating emotions, but Gabriel could suppress his to an incredible degree.

Luna shifted her weight, and felt a spike of panic from Gabriel as he realized he wasn’t alone in the room and whirled around to face her. “Hello, Gabriel Agreste,” she said smoothly.

Fear was the most prominent emotion, but Luna had been expecting that either way. She was a supervillain, after all, and for all his flaws Gabriel at least had healthy self-preservation instincts. But there were other emotions, too. Curiosity. Arousal. Hope. Relief. He’d been expecting her-he’d been _wanting_ her. Luna grinned and offered Gabriel her gloved hand. Wordlessly, he accepted it, and the room around them melted away. Gabriel pulled back, but they were already transported to Luna’s lair, a mostly empty attic she’d secured after finding the Miraculous that could only be reached via teleportation. “You-” Gabriel frowned, looking around. His fear was stronger, and now he was uncertain, confused. “Why did you bring me here?”

“We have much to discuss, Gabriel,” Luna purred. She took a step closer, then another, and ran a finger down Gabriel’s ascot tie. “Don’t you agree?”

Gabriel swallowed nervously. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, we do.”

Luna leaned in. “Good,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long.”

“It-it’s fine,” Gabriel stuttered. “You’re here now.”

“Yes,” Luna agreed. God, it was intoxicating almost, finally being able to act after weeks of slowly going mad. “Tell me, soulmate,” she said, “what your first thought was, when you saw my name on your back?”

Almost immediately, Luna knew she’d made a horrible mistake. Gabriel froze, then pulled away. “What?” he hissed. “What are-what are you _talking_ about?”

“I-” Luna frowned. “You were expecting me. You were _expecting_ me! I could _feel_ it, you were downright hopeful when I appeared! You agreed we-what did you think I wanted to talk about, if not the marks?”

In the face of her anger, Gabriel grew defiant. He straightened his back and actually looked down at her before nodding to her brooch. “My wife had one of those,” he said. “I thought-I hoped you wanted to discuss her. That you might know something about where she is, how to get her back.”

Luna’s blood ran hot. Of course. Of _fucking_ course, it all came back to Emilie, didn’t it? “I see,” she said cooly. “Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I don’t have the slightest clue where your miserable excuse for a wife is.”

Rage flashed across Gabriel’s face, and Luna could feel him fighting to keep from expressing it to her face. “Am I to understand,” he said slowly, “that my name has appeared on your back?”

“Am I to understand,” Luna repeated mockingly, “that mine hasn’t appeared on yours?”

“I couldn’t say,” Gabriel replied stiffly. “I haven’t checked for a mark in a very long time.”

“You-are you _kidding_ me?” Luna said incredulously. “Have you just given up entirely, is that it? Just because some woman leaves you who-”

“Stop talking about my wife,” Gabriel snapped. Luna glared, but Gabriel held his ground. “If you’re just going to insult me, you can take me back to my office, thank you.”

Luna started to reach for Gabriel’s hand, more than ready to end this godawful afternoon, but pulled her hand away suddenly. “I can’t,” she said. “I don’t know what name’s on your back.”

Luna could feel Gabriel’s understanding slowly dawn, and the healthy fear that his anger had temporarily drowned out was back. “You… you want to look at the mark?”

“I have to,” she said. “Soulmate or not, I can hardly let you back into the world with my real name on your back, can I?”

Gabriel paled. “Please,” he said softly. “I… I have a son.”

 _A son you ignore and pass off to your personal assistant at every given opportunity_ , Luna thought to herself, annoyed. But Gabriel wasn’t lying, and there was genuine fear there, fear that he’d never see Adrien again. Luna softened. “Take off your shirt,” she said. “Maybe it says Luna Moth after all, and there’s nothing to worry about.”

Gabriel hesitated for a moment, then reached up and began to loosen his tie. Luna watched as he pulled it off, then shrugged off his jacket and vest, then slowly began to unbutton his shirt. Luna found she liked the sight more than she’d expected to. Gabriel dropped his shirt to the floor and looked at Luna defiantly. She circled around him slowly.

 _Nathalie Sancoeur_. Fuck.

Luna took a breath. “It’s my-”

Luna caught Gabriel’s elbow before she even realized he’d jabbed it up towards her throat. She easily twisted his arm against his back, rendering him defenseless. She wound her other hand around his waist and trailed a few fingers over his bare chest, enjoying the warring feelings of indignation and excitement she was sensing in response. “My, my, my,” she purred. “Can it be there’s some life in you after all?”

Gabriel bristled. “I can’t allow you to keep me trapped here,” he said.

“And I can’t allow you back into the world knowing who I am,” Luna replied. “Seems we’re at an impasse.” Luna released Gabriel, and he turned to face her. “I’m sure you’ll get used to it. I’m really not such bad company as all that.”

“I won’t look,” Gabriel said. “If it’s a choice between freedom and looking, I won’t look.”

Luna laughed. “You really think I believe that? Curiosity will get the better of you ten minutes after I take you back home.”

Gabriel shook his head. “What do I have to do to convince you?”

“Nothing,” Luna said. “You…” A thought came to her. “Hmm. Well. Perhaps…”

“What?”

“You want your wife back, don’t you?”

“I do,” Gabriel said.

“Even now, even after getting someone else as soulmate?”

“It means nothing to me,” Gabriel said.

Luna pouted. “There’s no call to be rude, Gabriel,” she said, and was pleased to see a faint blush appear on his face. “I am doing you a great favor, after all.”

“What favor?”

“Don’t look,” Luna said, “and I’ll be able to sense if you do, you can be sure. If you look, I swear you’ll never see your wife again as long as you live. But if you don’t look, then when I finally get Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses, I’ll use their power to get you your wife back, how does that sound?”

That hope was back, stronger than ever. “That sounds very fair,” Gabriel said, and Luna knew no power in the universe would make Gabriel look at his back now.

“Good.” Luna held out her hand, and Gabriel shook it.


	2. Chapter 2

Gabriel took three steps into his bedroom and froze.

“Miss me?” Luna asked, grinning up at him from the center of his bed.

Gabriel fought to unclench his jaw. “Do you have any progress to report?” he asked.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Did you see a news report about how I finally captured Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculouses? No? Then no, I don’t have any progress to report. Good Lord, it is almost two in the morning, do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting up here for you? And you want to talk business? You’re a very disappointing soulmate, I must say.”

“How long you’ve…” Gabriel’s gaze darted back towards his door for a split second, and then he glared at Luna. “What if my son had walked in? Are you insane?” He let out an irritated huff. “What am I saying, of course you’re insane.”

 _Don’t be ridiculous, Adrien snuck out hours ago_. Even as Luna, she wasn’t quite evil enough to tattle on the boy. Instead, she flashed Gabriel a playful grin. “Don’t worry, he’ll never see me here. I can vanish-” she disappeared, and before Gabriel could even blink in surprise he felt her gloved arm wrap around his waist, “-in an instant, you know.”

Gabriel sighed. “What do you want, Miss… Luna?”

“You’ve had a few hours to get used to the idea,” Luna murmured, pressing herself against Gabriel’s back. “What do you think? What are your true feelings, now that the shock of it has worn off?”

In her transformed state, Luna could actually feel Gabriel suppressing his emotions, shoving them deep into the furthest abandoned corners of his heart. It was fascinating to behold. “I told you already, it means nothing to me,” he snapped.

“You love Emilie that much?”

“I…” Gabriel hesitated, and Luna caught flashes of his complicated emotions towards his wife. He did still love her, but there was a noticeable shift from how he’d thought about her yesterday, when he hadn’t known he had a soulmate. He was finally letting himself be angry at her, and there was something else, something Luna couldn’t quite put her finger on at first.

Relief.

“What will you do with her,” Luna said, “when I give her back to you?” Gabriel stiffened. “Shall I make her love you, adore you, worship you?”

Gabriel inhaled sharply. “Is that in your power?”

“Once I get my hands on the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses, Gabriel, everything will be in my power.”

Luna felt a shudder run down Gabriel’s spine, and he finally turned to face her. “Don’t do anything like that,” he said firmly. “Don’t change who she is or how she feels. Just keep her in once place long enough for me to convince her to stay in Paris and raise our son. That’s all I want from her.”

“Why Gabriel, you’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” Luna said, her big eyes looking up at Gabriel through her butterfly-shaped mask. “I would have taken you for the sort that enjoys being worshiped by beautiful women.”

Gabriel only hesitated for a moment. “Are you offering, Miss Luna?” Without waiting for her reply, Gabriel leaned down and kissed her. His fingers wound through her purple-streaked hair as he drew her to him. Luna kissed him back, surprised. She’d sensed his desire for her, but not his resolve, not the decision to initiate. Was there an impulsive, romantic side to Gabriel after all?

Gabriel ran his fingers over Luna’s oversized, wing-shaped lapels. “Design this yourself?” he whispered.

Luna grinned. “I’m afraid not. It comes automatic with the Miraculous.”

“What a pity. I was hoping to suggest a few alterations.”

Luna wrapped her fingers around the back of Gabriel’s neck, pulling him towards her so that her lips were right next to his ear. “You’d like to dress me, Mr. Agreste?”

“Right now, I’ll settle for undressing you.” Gabriel pulled at her jacket, but it stayed fixed to her body. He frowned. “Does this come off?”

“Oh. Um.” Luna frowned and looked down at her transformation. “No, I suppose not. I didn’t realize.”

“Well, that’s disappointing. And after you went to all the trouble of seducing me.”

Luna grinned. “You make it sound as though you put up a fight,” she teased. “Hold on, I’ve got an idea.” Reaching up, Luna slowly undid Gabriel’s tie and pulled it off his neck. He looked confused for a second, until Luna lifted it up and tied it around his eyes. “I hope this isn’t too intimidating for you, Mr. Agreste.”

Luna was certain Gabriel couldn’t see a thing, but he had no trouble at all in reaching for her hand and raising it. “I think you’ll find, Miss Luna,” he pressed his lips to her fingertips, “that it takes far more than this to intimidate me.” Luna flicked the light switch, and Gabriel pulled her towards his bed. Ignoring her reservations, the cool voice of reason that told her in no uncertain terms that she was risking far too much and she should simply vanish, Luna dropped her transformation.

 

* * *

 

“Miss Sancoeur, are you quite alright?”

Nathalie blinked. “Hmm?”

“I have asked you for the latest profit reports three times in a row just now,” Gabriel said impatiently.

“Oh.” Shaking her head slightly, Nathalie pulled out the report from her stack and handed it over. “My apologies, sir.”

“You’ve been distant all week,” Gabriel complained as he looked over the reports. “Maybe you’re ill.”

Not ‘I’m worried about you, Nathalie’ or ‘Go home, I hope you feel better soon,’ Nathalie noted to herself wryly. Well, no matter, she’d make him pay for it in the evening. “I’m fine, sir. I’ll be sure to be more attentive from now on.”

“See that you do.” Gabriel leaned back in his desk chair. “You’re my only competent employee, Nathalie. I can’t afford for you to start slipping now.”

Oh yes, Nathalie would enjoy making Gabriel pay tonight. “Of course, sir.”

Nathalie hadn’t foreseen, when she’d decided to throw caution to the winds and pursue Gabriel as Luna, how difficult working with him would become.

Nathalie could _feel_ Gabriel thinking about Luna. She could feel the rush of desire that hit him from time to time, particularly when some news report about the latest akuma attack came on. It was bad enough dealing with her own emotions, but dealing with Gabriel’s on top of that made concentrating on anything impossible. How was she supposed to work under such conditions?

Of course, Nathalie also hadn’t foreseen how much _fun_ it would be, having power over a man like Gabriel Agreste.

She teleported straight into his bed, that evening. She waited, she observed his emotions and waited until the moment he just about gave up on her appearing for the night. “Miss me?” Luna purred, running a gloved hand over Gabriel’s naked chest.

Gabriel jumped at her sudden appearance, then sighed, annoyed. “As you’re so fond of reminding me, I cannot keep my feelings a secret from you. Why bother asking?”

Luna leaned in. “I like hearing you say it,” she murmured. “Say it.”

A slight shudder ran through Gabriel. “I missed you.”

“You’ve been looking forward to this.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this.”

“You can’t stop thinking about me.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Gabriel agreed. He reached for her, but Luna caught his wrist.

“Ah, ah, you know the rules,” she said, grinning. “Blindfold first.” Sighing, Gabriel turned to his nightstand table, opened the top drawer, and took out a heavy strip of cloth. He started to put it up to his eyes, but Luna reached over and pulled it from his grasp. “I’ll put that on, thank you,” she said. Gabriel offered no resistance, and Luna felt a thrill at how obedient her boss was when she was like this. She climbed on top of him, straddling his chest between her legs, and grinned down at him.

“Well?” Gabriel said, when Luna made no move to fasten the cloth in place. “Are you going to make me beg?”

Luna’s grin widened. “Would you like me to?” she asked, and felt another shudder run through Gabriel. Slowly, she wound the cloth around his eyes, then tied it tight. She reached over and shut the nightstand lamp off, then willed her transformation away.

Nathalie took a breath, then leaned forward and kissed her soulmate. He reached for her at once, winding his fingers through her hair and pulling her down to him. Gabriel was hungry for her, and it drove Nathalie wild to sense it. In the beginning she’d waited between visits, thinking to heighten Gabriel’s desire through denial. It soon became clear, however, that the more she visited, the more he wanted her. Luna had tapped something in Gabriel, some long-forgotten piece of his heart, and now it was alive again and burning through them both.

Gabriel ran his hands over her, groping in the dark. Tweaking, pinching, massaging, there was no inch of Nathalie’s flesh he didn’t caress. Nathalie let out a pleased moan as his hands ran over her hips-

-then froze in terror as she felt a flash of recognition cross his mind.

Immediately, Nathalie was off of him. She leapt from the bed, grabbing her discarded blouse as she went. “What-” Gabriel reached for her in the dark, but she was already muttering her transformation phrase, already teleporting back to her lair.

Luna fell to her knees, gasping for breath. It took her a moment to collect herself enough to target Gabriel’s emotions, to read them. Was her secret uncovered?

No. As far as Luna could tell, no. Perhaps Gabriel had been on the edge of realizing who she was, but he’d lost it when she left so abruptly. His emotions now were merely confusion, frustration. The spark of recognition had died. Luna’s secret was safe.

Nathalie couldn’t bring herself to return for an entire week. She didn’t trust herself to maintain her cool authority before then. She felt Gabriel growing more and more frustrated as the week went on, he became more irritable and impossible to please.

When Luna finally returned to his bedroom, Gabriel glared at her. “Am I a game to you?” he demanded.

Luna shrugged. “What if you are? Am I more than that to you?”

“You could at least do me the courtesy of-”

“I think you’re beginning to forget exactly who I am, Gabriel Agreste,” Luna interrupted. “You’re growing familiar. Complacent. I don’t like it.” Luna slowly crossed the room to Gabriel’s bed and leaned over him. “I am the one with all the power. If you want your wife back-hell, if you want to remain a free man, you’ll do well to remember it. Is that clear?”

Gabriel’s glare deepened. “You’re insane.”

Luna grinned. “And you’re my soulmate,” she replied breezily. “Makes you think, doesn’t it?”


	3. Chapter 3

It was a shock to Nathalie, the day she realized she’d gone over a week without making an akuma.

“Don’t you see, Nathalie?” Nooroo said happily. “You’re not meant to be a villain, you’re meant to be with-“

“Dark wings rise, Nooroo,” Nathalie interrupted. Transforming was the only way to get her kwami to stop pestering her, and it was getting harder and harder to simply ignore him.

“I want to apologize,” Luna said to Gabriel, late at night. They’d long since sated themselves on each other, and were now simply lying in one another’s arms. Luna loved to press her head to Gabriel’s chest, listen to his heart beat, feel his chest rise and fall. She loved feeling the way Gabriel felt when he held her.

“Apologize for what?” Gabriel asked, sounding amused.

“I’ve been… remiss. Slacking.”

Luna felt a twinge of apprehension enter Gabriel’s mind. “Ah. That. Yes, I had noticed. Don’t trouble yourself. It’s not exactly a problem for me, you know. The akumas were rather inconvenient. You don’t know how many meetings needed rescheduling.

Luna, who knew the exact number of meetings she’d had to reschedule, shrugged. “Still. You’ve kept up your end of our bargain, and I haven’t kept up mine.” She trailed her fingers over Gabriel’s chest. “Anything I can do to make it up to you?”

A flash of hesitation, uncertainty. “You could stay.”

“What?”

“The night, that is. Or, until I fall asleep. I know you have to be gone before the morning, but,” Gabriel stroked Luna’s arm, “I do like having you here. I know I’m a solitary man by nature, but I don’t enjoy falling asleep alone.”

Touched, Luna pushed herself up and kissed Gabriel’s cheek. “Of course I’ll stay,” she murmured. She settled back into the crook of Gabriel’s arm. She felt warm, content. If she wasn’t careful, she’d drift off herself.

“What will you do with the Miraculouses, when you get them?” Gabriel asked.

“Get Emilie back,” Luna murmured, half asleep.

Gabriel chuckled. “I meant for yourself. Why did you start going after them in the first place?”

Luna was silent for a long while. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you,” she finally said.

Gabriel sighed. Luna sensed disappointment, but not a trace of surprise. “I look forward to it,” he said softly.

 

* * *

 

There were no surprises, until one night about two weeks later. Usually, Gabriel anticipated Luna’s visits. He looked forward to them, he was pleased when she appeared.

Tonight, he was livid.

“What’s got you all wound up?” Luna asked, eyebrow raised. “Surely your board meeting wasn’t that infuriating.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “You actually don’t know?”

Luna shook her head. “Enlighten me.”

“Your little akuma,” he hissed, “sprained my son’s ankle.”

Inwardly, Luna flinched. She had noticed that, and she felt bad about it. She’d never wanted Adrien to get caught up in any of what she had to do. But of course, she couldn’t let Gabriel know Adrien meant anything to her. She shrugged. “I’m sure Ladybug’s little Miraculous reset fixed it good as new,” she said, trying to sound bored.

“And if you’d actually succeeded?” Gabriel demanded. “Putting aside how incredibly unlikely that seems to be?”

Luna gave Gabriel a cool look. “If I’d gotten Ladybug’s Miraculous, I could have used the Cure myself,” she said.

Gabriel crossed the room in a few steps. Even transformed, Luna was shorter than Gabriel, and he glared down at her. “Hurt my son again,” he growled, “and Miraculous or not, I will find a way to kill you.”

Luna was shocked speechless for a moment. Concentrating, she analyzed Gabriel’s emotions as closely as she was able. He didn’t mean it, he wouldn’t actually kill her, but he _thought_ he meant it, and that hurt almost as much. “Oh, really, Gabriel,” she snapped, “what do you think hurts the boy more? Half an hour with a sprained ankle? Or looking out into the audience of his tenth piano recital in a row and only seeing his father’s personal assistant?”

The blow landed, as Luna knew it would, and Gabriel’s rage doubled. “Get out,” he spat. Luna vanished at once.

Nathalie felt Gabriel’s rage all week. She didn’t visit him again as Luna, and she didn’t make another akuma. She didn’t know what to do next.

Gabriel summoned Nathalie into his office first thing on Monday, at the start of what was supposed to be his private hour reviewing the concept art from his department heads. “Sir?” Nathalie asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady. He couldn’t have figured it out, she would have sensed more of a reaction.

“Nathalie.” Gabriel didn’t look up from his portfolio. “Adrien has a fencing tournament coming up, does he not?”

Nathalie blinked, surprised. “Next week, sir,” she said.

“See that it’s added to my personal calendar.”

“Really, sir?” Nathalie asked, unable to help herself. “You don’t usually go to those.”

A flash of guilt, quickly smothered and replaced with irritation. “Well, I highly doubt Emilie will return to Paris in time to attend,” Gabriel snapped at her, “so I suppose it’s about time I start filling in, isn’t it?”

Nathalie nodded. “Of course, sir.”

Nathalie waited until after the tournament. Gabriel attended, as he said he would. It would have been heartbreaking, Nathalie thought to herself, if she’d had a heart to break, how much sheer joy Gabriel’s appearance gave Adrien, even though Gabriel was a surly ass to every other parent there. But he was making an effort. Nathalie could feel how difficult every second of it was for him, but he stayed, he watched, he praised Adrien’s form. Maybe people could change, after all.

Luna appeared one night later, ready to vanish if necessary. Gabriel didn’t seem upset to see her, however. “You haven’t made any more akumas,” was all he said.

Luna nervously tapped her fingers against the top of Gabriel’s dresser. “You went to that fencing match.”

“Hm.” Gabriel wasn’t angry with her, but he was guarded in a way he hadn’t been before, not even when she was doing her best to terrify him as the villainess Luna Moth. “So where does that leave us?” he asked.

Luna sighed and leaned against the dresser. “I don’t know. I’m tired, Gabriel.”

Confusion for a moment, then understanding. “Of being Luna Moth, you mean?”

Luna nodded. “The longer this goes on… the longer this goes on, the harder it is to remember why I started being her in the first place. My reasons seem so silly now, so unnecessary.”

“I see.”

“But,” Luna added quickly, “you and I have a bargain.”

The hint of a smile formed at Gabriel’s lips. “I don’t mind breaking it if you don’t,” he said. “My reasons for making that bargain are also beginning to seem silly and unnecessary.”

Luna shook her head. “I’m not ready for our deal to be over. I’m sorry.”

“Ah.” Gabriel considered this for a moment. “We could make a new bargain.”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “What kind of bargain?”

Slowly, Gabriel crossed to her. He took her gloved hand and raised it up, pressing his lips to her fingers. “You stop being Luna,” he murmured, “and I won’t look at my soulmark until you tell me you’re ready for me to look.”

Luna gazed into Gabriel’s eyes, and once more read his emotions as carefully as she was able. He meant it. He wouldn’t look. “You might be waiting a very long time,” Luna warned.

Gabriel smiled. “I’ve waited this long for you,” he said. “My whole life, it seems. I can wait a little longer.”

Luna nodded, then softly kissed his lips. “Until we meet again, Gabriel,” she whispered, before vanishing.

Within her lair, Luna took a heavy breath and slowly let it out. “Well, I suppose I won’t be needing this place any longer,” she muttered to herself. “Nooroo, wings d-”

A hand grabbed Luna’s throat, choking the breath out of her.


	4. Chapter 4

Luna couldn’t breathe or move. The hand that grabbed her by the throat slammed her into the wall of her lair, and some unseen force paralyzed the rest of her body. It took Luna a second to calm down enough to realize she recognized her assailant.

“I hope you enjoyed your little stint as a supervillain while I was distracted in Lhasa,” Emilie Agreste hissed. “If you’d pulled this shit a year ago when I was still in town, you wouldn’t have made it past your first day. You are finished, do you hear me?”

“I-” Luna only managed to choke out a single syllable before Emilie tightened her magical grasp of Luna’s windpipe.

“You endangered my _son_ ,” Emilie snarled. “You have no idea how much I want to just snap your neck right now and be done with you.” Emilie tilted her head. “Or maybe you do, with that Miraculous. You can tell I’m not bluffing, can’t you?”

Luna nodded frantically. She needed oxygen, the room was starting to spin, but Emilie’s rage was coming through loud and clear. Luna had only detected an emotional state like this a handful of times, and each time she’d decided to play it safe and akumatize someone else. Emilie was perfectly willing to and capable of killing her. Emilie could have killed her right then and there, and she would have felt nothing but satisfaction at the act.

“Fortunately for you,” Emilie said, “I think you might be useful. So I’m going to make this very, very easy for you. There are two ways I can trust you won’t ever threaten my son again. The first is I kill you. The second is you willingly bind yourself to my will. This is not a favor I typically offer my enemies, so I expect you to be grateful.” Emilie took a breath, and Luna felt her rage quell, just a bit. Emilie held up the hand that wasn’t currently strangling Luna, and grabbed Luna’s hand with it. Luna could feel raw magic crackling off the sorceress’ grasp. “I am going to release you just enough for you to speak. If the next words out of your lips aren’t you binding yourself to my will, I will kill you. Understand?”

Luna nodded once more. Slowly, Emilie loosened her fingers. Luna gasped for air, still pinned against the wall. “I-” she immediately started coughing, and Luna felt Emilie ready herself, still clutching her hand. “I bind myself to your will.”

Luna felt the magic seize her instantly. It twisted itself around her hand, her wrist, her arm, it traveled up to the rest of her body, and wrapped itself around her heart. Luna felt the permanence of it settle in her bones.

Emilie blinked, and Luna felt a touch of shock. “You have a soulmate?” Emilie asked, genuinely confused.

Luna took a deep breath, and then another. Slowly, the room stopped spinning. “How did you know that?” she asked, her voice still raspy.

Emilie waved a hand at her impatiently, and instantly Luna’s throat felt good as new. “I felt two souls bind to me instead of one,” Emilie said. “A soulmate was the obvious answer.”

“What?” Luna asked, horrified. “I didn’t agree to bind him! That’s not fair!”

Emilie gave Luna a withering stare. “What did you think a soulbond was, just a pretty tattoo on your back? The two of you are tied together at the deepest level. There is no magic that can affect one of you and not the other.” She was calming down now, her rage was quieting inside of her, her intent to kill was fading. There was amusement in her now, and curiosity. “Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage of it so long as he doesn’t threaten me or mine. Who is he, out of curiosity?”

Luna opened her mouth to tell Emilie to go to hell. “Gabriel Agreste,” she said instead. She felt the shock of it hit Emilie. “Why did I-I didn’t want to tell you that, why-”

“What part of binding yourself to my will was confusing for you?” Emilie asked, still stunned. “If I want you to answer a question, you answer it.” She shook her head. “Gabriel? My Gabriel?”

“He’s not yours,” Luna said angrily. “He hasn’t been yours ever since you-”

“Drop your transformation,” Emilie interrupted.

“Nooroo, wings down,” Luna said at once. The magic fell away from her, and Nathalie stood in front of Emilie, feeling naked.

“Nathalie,” Emilie finally said. “I don’t understand. When I left Paris, I was certain you’d look out for Adrien. What on earth possessed you to attack him?”

Nathalie bristled. “It was an accident,” she said defensively, “and it was only the one time.”

“What?” Emilie narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“His twisted ankle. What are you talking about?” Nathalie crossed her arms. “Anyway, it was already taken care of before you even got here, Gabriel and I just agreed that-”

“Oh my God, you didn’t know,” Emilie said, gaping. “You must be the stupidest woman in Paris, you know that?”

“Know what?”

“Adrien,” Emilie said slowly, “is Chat Noir. Your arch nemesis.”

Emilie’s words took a moment to sink in. “No,” Nathalie said, shaking her head, “no, that’s not… that’s not possible, I-”

“What kind of a fool fights an enemy she doesn’t know the identity of?” Emilie snapped. “Honestly, you’re lucky you’re bound to me now. I’ll do a better job looking after you than you did, that’s for sure.” She sighed. “What were you after, anyway?”

“You,” Nathalie said numbly. “Gabriel was a mess when you left. I wanted things back the way they were.”

Nathalie felt Emilie’s understanding dawn, along with the exasperation that quickly followed. “You two are both such disasters,” she muttered. “You really are perfect for each other. Too bad you belong to me now.”

“I won’t hurt Adrien,” Nathalie whispered. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, but you have to know I won’t hurt him now that I know.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Emilie said, and Nathalie felt a twinge of pity from her. “Even if I wanted to undo the bond, I couldn’t. Anyway, I don’t. A Miraculous holder is a bit too useful of a servant, even for a sorceress as powerful as me.”

Nathalie raised a hand to her brooch. “You want me to keep this?”

Emilie rolled her eyes. “I don’t want it,” she said derisively. “Miraculouses come with more costs than they’re worth. I’m quite happy having you pay those costs on my behalf.” She reached forward and took Nathalie’s hand. A second later, they were standing in Nathalie’s bedroom. “Get some sleep,” Emilie ordered. “You have a big day tomorrow. Packing, quitting your job, explaining this whole mess to Gabriel-”

“I’m not quitting my job,” Nathalie said.

Emilie narrowed her eyes. “You are if I say you are,” she said, “and I do. You’re not much use to me working for Gabriel, are you? I’ll give you until ten in the morning, and then I’m coming by the manor to pick you up, understand?” Emilie vanished before Nathalie had a chance to answer.

Shaking slightly, Nathalie lowered herself to the edge of her bed. “Nooroo?” The kwami appeared before her. “Nooroo, did… did you know? About Adrien?”

Nooroo shook his head sadly. “I would have warned you. I’m sorry.”

“I was going to stop,” Nathalie whispered. “I was… Gabriel and I were going to be together.” Nathalie wiped away a tear, but more followed. “How much trouble am I in, Nooroo?”

“I don’t know,” Nooroo said. “Quite a lot, possibly.”

Nathalie nodded. Exhaustion was beginning to take over, and Nathalie could feel Emilie’s command to get some sleep beginning to take hold. Compelled by a power she didn’t understand and would never grow used to, Nathalie undressed, crawled into bed, and quietly cried herself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Nathalie managed to get a few hours of sleep, but she suspected she wouldn’t have been able to manage even that if Emilie hadn’t explicitly ordered it. She pulled herself out of bed, washed her face, got dressed. Those actions, too, felt compelled.  Emilie’s hold on Nathalie was chilling in its absoluteness.

Nooroo hovered anxiously at the edge of Nathalie’s vision as she went about her morning routine, but she said nothing to him and so he remained silent. He finally hid when Nathalie left her apartment, taking up his usual spot inside her blazer as she made her way to the bus. The entire way, Nathalie did her best not to feel Gabriel’s emotions. It was easy at first, but became more and more difficult as she got closer to the manor. Finally, just as she entered, her mental wall fell.

Gabriel’s happiness hit Nathalie like a punch to the gut.

She stood in the foyer for a moment, taking time to catch her breath and brace herself. Emilie had been very clear: Nathalie was to quit her job by ten am. She glanced at her wristwatch.

Fifty-five minutes to go.

“My apologies, sir,” Nathalie said as she entered Gabriel’s office. He looked up and gave her a confused look. “For being late.”

“Oh.” Gabriel looked back at his tablet. “It’s fine, I’m sure it won’t happen again.” His face was its usual mask of indifference, but on the inside Gabriel was downright cheerful. “Miss Sancoeur, are you aware that you have accrued an embarrassing amount of personal leave?”

Nathalie blinked. “Sir?”

“I’ve been looking over the vacation time, and you haven’t taken any in over a year.”

“Why,” Nathalie wasn’t sure how she was expecting her last day at work to go, but she hadn’t been expecting this, “why were you looking at the vacation time?”

There was a sudden flash of hope, of happiness, of arousal. Nathalie could have sworn she saw her soulmate’s cheeks flush ever so slightly. “Ah. Well. I might be taking a vacation of my own in the future, so I wanted to check up on the state of things.”

“A vacation, sir? Do you need me to arrange anything?” Why was Nathalie pretending, why was she still playing this charade?

“No, no, not for the moment. I don’t know when it will be exactly, I’m still waiting for… for a few details to sort themselves out.”

Luna. He was waiting for Luna to be ready to reveal herself to him, and he was already planning a wildly romantic gesture for when she did. Nathalie took a deep breath and braced herself. “Sir?”

Gabriel looked up. “Yes, Nathalie?” He looked at her with those ice-blue eyes, and for the first time they made Nathalie feel warm. “What is it?”

“It’s… it’s the coffee,” Nathalie said lamely. “I need it a bit earlier than usual today, I think. Do you want any?”

“Oh.” Gabriel turned back to his work, uninterested. “No, Nathalie, that won’t be necessary.”

The second Nathalie was out of the office, she was leaning against the wall for support. Emilie had been clear in her instructions, but how was Nathalie even supposed to begin explaining anything to Gabriel? An hour wasn’t enough time, not even close.

Well, if that was so, there was no harm in pushing it, was there? An hour was just as insufficient as ten minutes, so Nathalie might as well let Gabriel be happy for an extra fifty minutes. Slowly, Nathalie made her way to the kitchen and busied herself with the coffee maker. She kept her focus on Gabriel the entire time. She’d never felt him feel like this before, and she didn’t know if she ever would again. Nathalie didn’t know if she’d ever feel anything from Gabriel ever again.

The next forty minutes passed in relative silence. Nathalie did her best to check for any major, looming issues she could tackle in the impossibly short time Emilie had given her, and for the things she couldn’t take care of she typed up instructions for whoever Gabriel got to replace her. As far as Gabriel could tell, it was a perfectly ordinary morning.

Ten minutes to ten, Nathalie took another deep breath and closed her laptop. “Sir.”

Gabriel looked up once more. “Nathalie?”

“There’s… there’s something I-” Nathalie was cut off suddenly by the sound of the heavy front door opening in the foyer. Instantly, Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, and he rose from his desk and began walking for the door. Nathalie’s heart sank. “Wait, sir, I need to-”

“Who the hell just got past the-” Gabriel froze as the office door opened, revealing his wife. Emilie stood in the doorway as though she belonged, as though she had every right to be there. Gabriel’s shock would have bowled Nathalie over if she’d been standing.

“Did you miss me, darling?”

Something snapped in Gabriel, and in an instant his shock gave way to anger. “What the hell are you doing here, Emilie?”

Emilie’s smile fell, and she shot Nathalie an irritated glare. “What part of ‘explain this whole mess to Gabriel’ was confusing for you?” she snapped.

“You said ten!” Nathalie protested. “You said-”

“I said we were _leaving_ at ten,” Emilie said witheringly.

“No, you said you’d _give_ me until ten.” Nathalie blinked rapidly, trying desperately to keep in the hot, indignant tears that were seconds away from falling.

“Obviously I need to come by earlier than that, in case there was any trouble. And of course I can’t leave without saying hello to Adrien, can I? What kind of mother would I be?” Emilie sighed. “Fine, I’ll see Adrien first to give you a little more time, but if you didn’t pack I hope you like the clothes on your back because that’s all you’ll be bringing, understand?” As suddenly as she’d appeared, Emilie left.

Slowly, painfully slowly, Gabriel turned to Nathalie. “Miss Sancouer,” he said weakly, “what… what…” He couldn’t seem to finish the question.

“I’m sorry,” Nathalie said, and before she could even think of what to say the words were pouring out of her, along with the tears, “I wanted to explain, but I didn’t know how to begin, and you were so _happy_ Gabriel, for so long I’ve wanted to feel you that happy, even when we were together you were never happy like that, and I just couldn’t bear to take it away from you any sooner than I had to.”

It took Gabriel a few moments to piece together what Nathalie said. Nathalie could feel the various pieces slowly click together in his mind. “Luna?” he finally whispered. In response, Nathalie began sobbing harder. Quickly, Gabriel pulled out an embroidered handkerchief and handed it to Nathalie. She accepted it gratefully and tried in vain to calm down enough to speak again. “Miss Sancoeur… Luna… Nathalie. I’m afraid I’m still quite at a loss to make sense of what is happening.” He tilted his head down, to catch Nathalie’s gaze. “I’m glad it’s you,” he said softly.

Nathalie nodded. “I know,” she said through her tears.

The corners of Gabriel’s mouth picked up slightly. “Yes, I suppose you would,” he said. “How on earth did you get Emilie back without the Miraculouses?” he asked. “And why, after our agreement last night?”

Nathalie sighed. “I didn’t mean to,” she said. “But it turns out being a supervillain is a good way to attract an angry sorceress when the city you’re terrorizing is her son’s.”

“Ah.” Gabriel nodded, and for a fleeting moment Nathalie felt the echoes of Gabriel’s anger at Adrien’s sprained ankle. “I can certainly understand that. But now that you’ve agreed to stop-”

Nathalie shook her head. “It’s too late for that,” she said. “Emilie was livid. She almost killed me on the spot. But instead she made me bind myself to her.” Nathalie wiped away the last of her tears and did her best to look her soulmate in the eye. “I’m so sorry, Gabriel. I belong to Emilie now.”

The weight of Nathalie’s words hit Gabriel like a blow. “No,” he said, “no, she can’t do that.”

“It’s already done.”

“There are _laws_ , Nathalie, sorcerers can’t just go around enslaving people! We’ll call the police, I know the chief, we’ll-”

“We’ll tell them what, Gabriel?” Nathalie asked ruefully. “That your wife has kidnapped your supervillain secretary?” Nathalie shook her head. “If you make any kind of a fuss, Emilie will expose me. If the choice is between prison and Emilie, I choose Emilie.”

Acceptance settled in Gabriel’s heart. “Alright,” he said. “That’s your decision.”

“Thank you.” Nathalie took a step forward, and Gabriel’s arms were around her. For the next few minutes they simply clung to each other, basking in the bittersweet warmth of the moment.

“Why?” Gabriel whispered. Nathalie looked up at him. “You did say you might tell me once,” he added. “Why you began it all.”

“Oh,” Nathalie sighed. “It was always about getting Emilie back.” She gave Gabriel an embarrassed smile. “I told myself it was purely professional, that I simply wanted to work for a functional boss again.”

“Ah.” Gabriel gave Nathalie an embarrassed smile of his own. “I did wallow a bit, I suppose.”

“A bit, yes.”

“I’ve been a fool.”

“We both have.”

“Truer words, darlings.” Nathalie and Gabriel whirled around to see Emilie back at the doorway. “Nathalie, come along.”

Nathalie’s feet were moving before Nathalie’s brain had even registered the command, but Gabriel grabbed her arm roughly and held her back. “Emilie, no. Take me instead.”

Emilie rolled her eyes. “You’re embarrassing yourself, Gabriel. You’re of no use to me. Luna Moth is. Besides, your disappearance from Paris would be an international scandal, and the last thing I want is attention. Who’s going to notice when _she_ vanishes?” Rage flared in Gabriel, but he said nothing. “Nathalie, come along. _Now_. I’ve been more than fair.”

Nathalie pulled away from Gabriel once more, and once more he grabbed her, pulling her into the tightest of embraces. “I promise you, I will find a way to break her hold,” he whispered fiercely. “Do you understand?”

The bond wouldn’t even let Nathalie hug Gabriel back, but she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, before pulling free and following after Emilie.


	6. Chapter 6

“I think it would be best if we got a few ground rules down right away, don’t you?”

Nathalie didn’t stop staring out the window of the private jet. “Fine.”

Emilie let out an exasperated huff. “First,” she snapped, “you look at me when I’m speaking to you.” Nathalie looked over. “And you answer all my questions and commands with a clear and polite ‘yes’ or ‘no’, understood?”

Nathalie nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” Emilie leaned back in her seat. “Now, when we’re conducting business, you’re to be transformed at all times. I don’t want your true identity getting out any more than you do. You’ll be introduced as my familiar if I bother introducing you at all. You don’t speak to my clients unless I specifically tell you to. You don’t speak to me in front of my clients unless it’s to answer a direct question. You’re to stand behind me and look intimidating.”

Nathalie nodded again. “Alright.”

“You’re also to read my clients’ emotions,” Emilie continued. “If you detect anything that might be a problem for me, deception or anger or anything like that, you’ll give me a subtle nudge. Do you have any questions?”

“Did you tell Adrien?”

Emilie blinked, surprised. “No,” she said, and there was something like pity in her eyes. “Not about you being his arch-nemesis, anyway. I told him you were accompanying me on business for a bit, that’s all.”

Nathalie let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“And I told him we’ll be back in a few weeks,” Emilie added. “I mean, well,” she rolled her eyes at Nathalie’s look of shock, “since you went to all the trouble of terrorizing Paris just for me, I suppose I ought to try and visit home more often in the future.”

“I see,” Nathalie said slowly. “I appreciate that.”

“I visited _Adrien_ , you know,” Emilie added defensively. “Not as often as I should have, I suppose, but still. It was only Gabriel I couldn’t stand to see.”

“You’re the one who married him.”

Emilie narrowed her eyes. “Careful, or I might have to forbid you outright from talking back.” Nathalie pursed her lips but said nothing. “Oh, honestly, you remember what it was like right before I left. How could you possibly have thought bringing me back would be good for Gabriel?”

Nathalie shrugged. She didn’t need Emilie to tell her that Luna Moth had been a foolish plan from start to finish. She and Gabriel had already figured that out for themselves. They’d already come up with a better plan.

And then Emilie had shown up and ruined it.

“You know, I didn’t get a very good look at your ensemble last night,” Emilie said. “Let’s see what we’re working with. Transform.”

Nathalie began to unbuckle her seatbelt, but she shot a nervous look at the cockpit. “What about-“

“Oh, don’t worry about them,” Emilie said dismissively. “I’ll just erase their memories if they see or hear anything they shouldn’t.”

Nathalie nodded and stood. “Noooo, dark wings rise!”

Emilie stared at Nathalie for a full minute, totally speechless. In her transformed state, Nathalie could detect Emilie’s emotions much more accurately. Her feelings were…

Complicated.

“No,” Emilie finally said, her voice a bit weaker than normal, “no, that won’t do at all.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“You look far too authoritative in a suit.”

“I thought you wanted me to be intimidating.”

“Intimidating, dear, not _commanding_. You’re supposed to be making _me_ look good. No, no, it’s all wrong. Try again.”

Nathalie sighed. “Wings down, Nooroo.”

“Scary, but subservient.” Emilie addressed Nooroo directly. “Like an expertly trained attack dog. Do you think you can handle that?”

Nooroo looked at Nathalie. “Master?”

“Emilie’s your master now,” Nathalie said. “Transitive property and whatnot. Do it. Dark wings rise.”

This time, Emilie let out an incredibly self-satisfied sigh. “Much better,” she said, grinning. “See?”

Nathalie looked down. She was wearing a black dress, edged with electric purple, just like one of her akumas. It hugged her hips before flaring out, the skirt patterned like a dozen butterfly wings joined together. Nathalie lifted a hand to her face. The cowl had been replaced with a simple mask, one Nathalie couldn’t see but which she instinctively knew matched her dress. As she dropped her hand back down, she noticed the sleeves. They were wings too, draping her arms and connecting across her collarbone, her Miraculous joining them together.

Emilie’s emotional response, Nathalie preferred not to think about.

“It’s a bit cliche.”

“The cliches are cliches for a reason, darling,” Emilie said. “It’s perfect.” She glanced at her watch. “Alright, drop it for now and get some sleep. We have business once we land.”

 

* * *

 

Nathalie hadn’t bothered asking where they were going. She hadn’t seen the point. It took her a bit by surprise, then, to look out the window as they landed.

“Are those the Great Pyramids?”

“We’ll be in Cairo a lot, darling. The oldest magic in the world is found here.”

They hurried to the hotel, a fine establishment with a breathtaking view. Emilie immediately abandoned her suitcase and disappeared into the bathroom. She didn’t emerge until almost an hour later, showered and styled and looking perfect in a white pantsuit. She took one step out then stopped, surprised.

Nathalie had unpacked both their suitcases. She’d rearranged the attached sitting room a bit as well, with an eye for how the furniture could make Emilie look as imposing as possible to any client that called on her here.

“Nathalie, you didn’t have to do all this.”

“That’s news to me, Madame,” Nathalie said dryly. She handed Emilie a martini.

Emilie held back a grin, though she knew Nathalie could feel it. “You’re here to be Luna. That’s all.”

“Well, Luna comes with Nathalie,” Nathalie replied, “and being a personal assistant is what Nathalie is good at. I’m not good at idling.”

Emilie nodded. “Very well. Get yourself ready, the client arrives in thirty minutes.”

 

* * *

 

“Mostafa, darling, it’s been far too long.”

“It has,” Mostafa Kubdel agreed, as he bent down to kiss the back of Emilie’s hand. “The next time you’re back in Paris, we really should…” Mostafa trailed off, getting a good look at Luna and her Miraculous for the first time. “Emilie,” he said, his voice low, “is that who I think it is?”

“This is Luna,” Emilie said, clearly pleased at the shock value. “You don’t have to worry about her anymore. She belongs to me now.”

“Completely?”

“Completely and totally, Mostafa, I promise.”

“Do you have any idea how much trouble she’s caused?”

“Of course,” Emilie said. “That’s why I bound her. Now her powers will be put to good use, don’t you worry.”

Mostafa Kubdel was now glaring outright. “If she belongs to you, her debts do as well. This monster akumatized both of my children. My family is owed _blood_ , Emilie.”

Emilie maintained her smile, but Luna could feel how much effort it now took to maintain. “She will be assisting me with this job,” Emilie replied.

“Not good enough.”

Emilie sighed. “One thing at a time, Mostafa darling. Let’s settle our business first, shall we?”

Mostafa gave Luna one last look, then handed a file over to Emilie. She read through it silently and thoroughly for a while. Luna did her best to maintain an air of cool intimidation.

“Well, this all seems very standard,” Emilie finally said. “A family tomb, is it?”

“Distantly, I’m afraid, or I wouldn’t require a sorceress to untangle its ancient curses.”

Emilie nodded. “Is that all?”

“It is.”

Emilie felt a small but firm nudge at her shoulder. She looked up from the contract, eyes narrowed. “Would you like to try that again?”

“I-“ Mostafa looked at Luna suspiciously for a moment.

“If you are withholding information from me, we are going to have a problem.”

Mostafa hesitated, but only for a moment. Sighing, he pulled out another sheet of paper. “We’ve has a preliminary reading done,” he said.

Emilie’s eyes widened as she read the report. “Mostafa, you naughty man, you were going to let me walk right into a mental vortex?”

“You’re a capable sorceress,” Mostafa said defensively. “I’m certain you would have detected it in time.”

“Not until after my price was set, though, is that it?” Mostafa didn’t say anything. “Untangling this is going to be a nightmare, you know. Literally.”

“Emilie, please. You’re the only sorcerer I trust to do this job.”

Emilie continued to look over the report. “Hmm.” She looked up. “Suppose Luna triggers it.”

Mostafa blinked. “Your pet super villain?”

“That’s right.” Emilie closed the file. “I’ll have Luna trigger the curse directly, and in return you give your word that the debt she owes your family is officially paid.” Emilie leaned back in her armchair. “If not, this job will take months and cost you a fortune. It’s your decision.”

Mostafa looked back at Luna, but Luna’s face was a mask of indifference. “I accept.”

 

* * *

 

“You’ll be fine,” Emilie whispered to Luna reassuringly as they made their way into the tomb. “Once the curse is triggered, I’ll knock you out before it has a chance to do any lasting damage.”

Luna nodded. “It’s not like I have a choice, right?” Her voice broke on the last word.

“No,” Emilie said harshly. “You don’t. Let me assure you, however, that you are getting off lightly. When a Kubdel is owed blood, they usually get it. I can’t believe you were stupid enough to akumatize his children. Out of curiosity, are there any other incredibly old and powerful families you might have pissed off? Your debts are mine now, and I’d prefer it if getting blindsided by them wasn’t a weekly occurrence.”

“I didn’t know.”

“What you didn’t know could fill a mountain. You’re lucky I’m looking after you now.”

“Yes, look at what an amazing job you’re doing at that.”

They reached the first antechamber and Emilie held up a hand. “Alright,” she said softly. “The Miraculous should shield your mind from the nastiest effects. Five steps forward should do it.”

Bracing herself, Luna nodded and walked forward. Five steps later, she turned back around. “Now what?”

“Now… well, now you’re supposed to be cursed.”

Luna looked herself over. “I don’t feel cursed.”

“Hm.” Emilie began muttering under her breath, and the air around her took on a bluish glow. “Well, _something_ dispelled it,” she said, confused. “The curse is well and truly gone.”

“Are you sure it was here to begin with?” Luna asked.

“Positive. Something that nasty doesn’t-“

Luna screamed. “Emilie! Emilie, they’re everywhere! Oh, God, get them off, get them _off_ ,” Luna started clawing at her arms, and only the magic of her transformation kept her from drawing blood. “Emilie, please,” she sobbed, “help me!”

“Hold still,” Emilie said calmly. “They’re not real, just let me-“

Luna screamed again. “They’re on you! I have to,” Luna lunged at Emilie desperately, nails first, and Emilie just barely managed to dodge the attack. Tears were streaming down Luna’s face now, tears of fear and frustration as she tried in vain to help Emilie and herself get free of whatever phantom plagued her mind. “Emilie, no, I can-“

Emilie grabbed Luna’s arm, whispering under her breath, and touched her temple. All the tension went out of Luna. She collapsed to the ground, shuddering as the nightmare overcame her. Darkness took her.


	7. Chapter 7

Nathalie took a small step into the Agreste foyer. It had always felt too large a space, too empty, but now the silence felt downright oppressive. Her heels clacked on the tile with a gentle echo and Nathalie shivered. “Gabriel? Adrien?”

No answer.

Slowly, Nathalie crossed to the door of Gabriel’s office. “Gabriel? I’m,” she just stopped herself from saying ‘home’, “I’m back. Gabriel?”

Gabriel looked up from his desk as Nathalie entered. He narrowed his eyes at her. “What are you doing here?”

Nathalie frowned, confused. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Happy?” Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “After what you’ve done?”

Nathalie blinked back tears. “I thought… I thought…”

“You thought I’d want anything to do with you, after what you did to my son?”

A cold terror gripped Nathalie’s heart. “Gabriel, please, I didn’t know, you have to believe, I love Adrien, I would never do anything to hurt him, you have to-“

“You’re never coming anywhere near Adrien again,” Gabriel spat. “Or me. Get out, before I call the police. Prison is too good for you.”

Nathalie tried in vain to keep her breathing steady. “Gabriel, please, you have to forgive me, I was trying to do what was best for him! If I’d had any way to know he was Chat, I never would have-“

“Oh, God, not this _again_.”

Nathalie whirled around to find a very exasperated looking Emilie standing behind her. “This is a private conversation, Emilie,” she snapped.

“What is this, the tenth time?” Emilie asked, as though Nathalie hadn’t spoken. “I thought those nightmares about the scarabs crawling under your skin were bad, but this one’s just depressing.”

Nathalie frowned. “Nightmares?”

Emilie sighed impatiently. “Yes, Nathalie, this is a nightmare. Obviously. Look around, the edges are all fuzzy.”

Slowly, Nathalie looked around. It was Gabriel’s office… or at least, the parts she focused on were. But everything in her peripheral vision kept fading to mist, the details were all gone, and Gabriel was continuing to glare at her as though they hadn’t been interrupted.

“Here, I’ll fix it.” Emilie muttered a bit under her breath, then waved her arms. Everything vanished, and the two women were left standing in a gray abyss.

“Why are you here?” Nathalie asked.

“Oh, least I can do I suppose. The nightmare curse was nastier than I expected.”

“Curse?”

Emilie gave Nathalie a concerned look. “You don’t remember the tomb? The job, for Mostafa Kubdel?” Nathalie shook her head, and Emilie sighed. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll remember when you wake up, and until then you’ll just keep forgetting every time a new nightmare forms. I don’t feel like explaining everything over and over.”

“When I… how long have I been asleep?”

“A little over a week.” Nathalie’s face went pale, and Emilie patted her arm gently. “The worst of it is over, don’t worry. You’ll be good as new soon.”

Nathalie nodded shakily. “You’re being nicer than usual,” she observed dryly.

Emilie gave her a sad smile, then leaned forward and kissed Nathalie’s forehead. “Like I said, you won’t remember any of this. Sweet dreams, Nathalie.”

 

* * *

 

It took Emilie a week to finish clearing the Kubdel tomb of curses and wards, but the rest of the work was easy and Mostafa was more than satisfied at the job she did. She spent the rest of the week combing through reports of akumatizations, looking for any other obvious red flags.

Fortunately, only one other name in the list that gave Emilie cause for concern.

Unfortunately, it was quite a name.

Emilie just barely managed to keep from spitting her coffee out, when the article finally loaded. Coughing, she glared at Nathalie, who was still asleep in the hotel room bed. “You _idiot_ ,” she said, before grabbing her cell phone and frantically dialing a number she hadn’t had occasion to call in years.

“You’ve reached Jagged Stone, this is Penny Rolling speaking, how may I assist you?”

“Blessings upon the grove of your ancestors, fair daughter of the land,” Emilie said in a rush, stumbling a little over the formal greeting she usually didn’t bother with. “This is Emilie Agreste.”

“Emilie, darling!” The dryad’s professional tone vanished in an instant. “It’s been far too long since the last time you graced our Court. How many midsummer balls have you missed?”

“Too many,” Emilie said. “I’ve been busy, I hope no offense was taken.”

“Oh, not at all. I’m sure Jagged would love to see you at the next one, though.”

“I’d be honored, as always. I, ah, I was just calling to inform His Majesty that I’ve taken on a rather unconventional familiar.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Well, it’s Luna Moth, actually.”

Penny let out a delighted gasp. “Emilie, you absolute minx! That was _you_? Why, I could name half a dozen people who would give their right arm to serve you, and instead you go and capture a supervillain. You raise unconventionality to a delicious art form, you know.”

“High praise.” Emilie took a deep breath. “I just wanted to make sure… I know she gave His Majesty some difficulty, I didn’t want to offend… if there’s anything at all that’s required of me-“

Penny cut Emilie off with another laugh. “Between you and me, Jagged adored being able to ride Fang in his true form through Paris. You know how he dotes on that dragon, and the poor thing doesn’t enjoy playing at mortal dress-up the way the rest of us do.”

Emilie’s heart rate slowed down to something resembling reasonable. “I’m so glad to hear it. Still, if there’s anything at all His Majesty requires, please don’t hesitate to call.”

“You could drop her off at Court,” Penny said slyly. “I’m sure the King would adore having a new pet to play with.”

Emilie glanced back at Nathalie and shivered. “Perhaps we’ll visit soon,” she said, carefully avoiding any foolish commitments.

“Oh, you must. May the Light guide, Emilie.”

“May the Dark protect,” Emilie replied automatically before hanging up. She took a moment to recover her wits, focusing on breathing deeply. All in all, the call had gone incredibly well. As a human sorceress, Emilie’s dealings with the Fae were just enough for her to know how wildly out of her depth she’d be if she ever really gave them cause for complaint.

Emilie glanced at her watch. Nathalie was about due for another nightmare. They’d slowed down in frequency, and Emilie suspected she’d only have to banish a few more before the woman awoke. She stood slowly, stretching a bit, then walked over to Nathalie’s bed and sat beside her. Readying herself to enter Nathalie’s mindscape, Emilie silently prepared the spell and-

-and Nathalie’s phone rang.

Emilie had been ignoring the phone all week. She knew who it was without looking. She’d briefly considered just blocking the number, like she had on her own phone two years earlier, before she impulsively picked it up and answered it. “Hello, Gabriel.”

“Emilie?” Emilie could hear in his voice, the sudden rush of hope when she’d picked up that was just as suddenly dashed when he heard Emilie’s voice instead of Nathalie’s. “You’re screening Nathalie’s calls now, are you? That's a bit petty, even for you.”

“Nathalie is indisposed at the moment, Gabriel. Can I take a message?”

“What have you done to her?”

Emilie frowned. “What makes you think I’ve done anything to her? Anything you don’t already know about, that is.”

There was a pause. “I keep dreaming of her.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It isn’t.”

“Ah.” Understanding dawned. “That’s the soul bond, I’m afraid. They should clear up soon.”

“ _What_ should? What is going on?”

Emilie sighed. “Nathalie got hit by a little nightmare curse. I suppose it’s leaking over to you through your soulmate link. If it makes you feel any better, any nightmare you have is one Nathalie doesn’t have to have. You’re helping her.”

“How the hell did she get cursed, Emilie?”

Emilie pursed her lips and counted to ten in her head. “She akumatized the wrong magician’s children, and this was the safest way to appease him. Your little soulmate is good at making powerful enemies, and the both of you are very, _very_ lucky I am willing to help with the clean-up.”

There was another pause. “I see,” Gabriel finally said. He still sounded angry, but it was tempered now. “When can I speak to her?”

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll call when she wakes up. A few more days at most. I’ll tell her you called.”

“Thank you.”

Emilie hesitated. “How’s Adrien doing?”

“He’s… fine. Things in Paris are a bit tense, but he’s fine.”

“Tense?”

“The sudden absence of akumas,” Gabriel replied numbly. “It seems to be a bit too good to be true, for most of the people in the city. Many are waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“Ah.” From Penny’s reaction, Emilie was certain word had spread through the magical community that someone had taken care of the Luna Moth problem. Magicians, however, were tight-lipped where civilians were concerned. “I suppose everyone was expecting some epic showdown between her and Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

“Villains have vanished before,” Gabriel said, and Emilie couldn’t help but notice his total lack of reaction to the name Chat Noir. “People will stop worrying eventually. Adrien will stop worrying eventually.”

It occurred to Emilie that Gabriel could have stopped Adrien’s worrying sooner, but that would require talking to the boy. Not that she was much better, keeping their son’s identity hidden from Gabriel, but still. “Of course.”

“He misses you.”

Emilie closed her eyes. “I know.”

“He misses Nathalie as well.”

“Trust me, Gabriel, Nathalie should not be in Paris right now. Not until I’m certain she hasn’t made us any more powerful enemies.”

“So this is all benevolence on your part, is it?”

“Don’t you _dare_ take that tone with me, Gabriel Agreste,” Emilie said angrily. “You had a fucking supervillain under your nose for months, you were sleeping with her all the while knowing she was putting Adrien in danger, I almost killed her dead on the spot when I got back but you didn’t care, what kind of father-“

“At least I’m _here_ , Emilie,” Gabriel snapped. “You knew exactly what kind of father I was when you walked out on the two of us and it didn’t even slow you down. God forbid anything interfere with Emilie Agreste’s plans, with her quest for power, right?”

“Yes, Gabriel, that’s right, it had nothing to do with you, with being sick to death of being your pretty doll shut up in that gilded cage of a mansion. Of course _I’m_ the monster and you’re the victim, what other way could it be?”

There was yet another long pause. “What happened to us, Emilie?” Gabriel asked softly.

All the anger went out of Emilie in a flash. “Oh, who knows,” she said wearily. “Does it matter anymore?”

“I suppose not.”

“You know, it’s a bit refreshing to have you yelling back at me for once,” Emilie said, and she heard Gabriel chuckle softly. “It means you’re actually hearing me now.”

“That was never my strong suit, it’s true.” Gabriel let out a heavy sigh. “Are you saying you can stand me now that I’m not in love with you anymore?”

“Something like that, I guess.”

“Do you think you could stand me for a week or so next month, then?”

Emilie blinked. “I-“

“It’s Christmas, Emilie.”

A million excuses flashed through Emilie’s mind, but then Nathalie began to whimper in her sleep. “I suppose I could stand you for Christmas,” Emilie said.


	8. Chapter 8

“Merry Christmas, darling!” Emilie exclaimed as she entered the Agreste foyer. She threw her arms around Adrien and hugged him tightly.

“Merry Christmas, Mom! I can’t believe you made it back in time this year,” Adrien said, hugging her back happily.

“Oh, well, work’s been going so much faster now that I have Nathalie, it was easy to put everything on hold for a week this year,” Emilie said, gesturing to the assistant who had silently followed after her.

“Oh, Nathalie!” Adrien released his mother and hugged Nathalie. “I’m so glad you’re back, I missed you so much!”

After an instant of hesitation, Nathalie hugged Adrien back. His emotions for her were… uncomplicated. It was nice. Nathalie allowed herself to bask in them for a bit, even as it felt like a betrayal. _If he knew you could sense his emotions, if he knew_ how _you could sense them, he’d-_

“Nathalie?” Gabriel appeared at his office door. His eyes locked with Nathalie’s, and the relief that Nathalie sensed from him upon seeing her again took her breath away. A moment later, he’d emotionally composed himself, and Nathalie could think clearly again. “Emilie. What a lovely surprise.”

“You did invite us, Gabriel,” Emilie said, smiling. “I know we’re a few days early, but I thought we could stay through New Year’s, is that alright?”

“It’s perfect,” Adrien said quickly, and Nathalie could tell he was worried Gabriel would refuse. “You guys can stay as long as you want, there’s plenty of room. Right, Father?”

“Of course,” Gabriel agreed. He looked at Nathalie again, then tore his eyes away. “I’ll inform the chef, he should have plenty of time to add two more servings for tonight.”

“I can inform him,” Nathalie said, taking a few steps towards the kitchens.

“Nathalie, stop,” Emilie said, and Nathalie was immediately incapable of taking another step. “Darling, you’re not Gabriel’s lackey anymore, and you’re on vacation. Let his new assistant take care of that.” Emilie’s tone was light, but there was a warning hard as steel behind her words that Nathalie had no difficulty picking up.

“Right. How silly of me.” Nathalie turned to Gabriel. “I’d love to meet my replacement, if they’re around.”

Gabriel cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’m between assistants at the moment, actually. Can’t seem to keep one for more than a week.”

Emilie rolled her eyes. “Gabriel, help me with my bags to the guest room, would you? And Adrien, be a love and help Nathalie get settled in.” She picked up her suitcase and shoved it pointedly into Gabriel’s arms before striding towards the staircase. “I’ll take the guest suite in the west wing, and Nathalie will take the east.”

The east wing guest room. It was smaller, but still nice. More importantly, it was only a few doors down from Gabriel’s master bedroom. Perhaps Emilie wouldn’t make the holiday entirely torturous after all.

Adrien insisted on carrying Nathalie’s suitcase for her, and Nathalie couldn’t help but notice how strong the boy was. This was the first she’d really gotten to see him, since learning he was her former arch-nemesis Chat Noir, and now that she knew Nathalie couldn’t understand how she’d missed it. The newfound strength and confidence, always sneaking out at night, disappearing at the oddest times… well, Nathalie had been busy with her own suspicious disappearances, she supposed.

“Father’s sorry, you know,” Adrien said, after he’d put Nathalie’s suitcase on her bed.

Nathalie blinked, confused. “Pardon?”

“Whatever stupid thing he said or did to make you quit, he’s sorry, I can tell,” Adrien said. “He wants you back.”

“Oh,” Nathalie sighed. “No, Adrien, that’s not-your father didn’t make me quit. He didn’t do anything. I just… I needed a change.”

Adrien looked at her skeptically. “You needed a change so bad you quit without even giving two weeks’ notice? And you started working for his ex-wife? Who wasn’t even in the country the day before? I know none of you guys ever tell me anything, but I’m not dumb.”

Nathalie bit her lip. She wanted to tell Adrien everything, even though it would make him hate her. After everything she owed Adrien the truth, it was the absolute least she owed him. But Emilie had made it clear she didn’t want Adrien knowing who Nathalie was, or that she and Emilie knew who Adrien was, and so Nathalie couldn’t say a single word she wanted to.

“I needed a very big change,” Nathalie said instead, “and it doesn’t get much bigger than working for your mother. It’s been the experience of a lifetime, Adrien.” That part was true, at least.

Adrien still looked skeptical, but his expression was easing. “You never seemed interested in magic before.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” Nathalie muttered. She patted Adrien’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure we’re back as often as possible, Adrien. No more two-year-long disappearances, I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Nathalie lay in bed, waiting. She could feel Gabriel moving about the mansion. He was trying to keep up appearances, staying in his office until midnight as he always did. Emilie was sleeping like a baby on the other side of the mansion. Adrien was drifting off, but Nathalie couldn’t risk sneaking out of her room until he was fully asleep. It was hard enough, explaining her sudden career change, but if he’d found out she and Gabriel were together, it’d be impossible.

Finally, Nathalie felt Adrien fall asleep. She slipped out of her bed, out of the room, down the hall, and into Gabriel’s room, just as she felt Gabriel’s resolve snap. Smiling, she sat down on his bed and waited.

Gabriel was already pulling off his tie when he entered his bedroom. He was feeling rushed, and eager. He took a few steps in before he saw Nathalie lying on the mattress, smiling up at him. “Did you miss me?” she purred. It was easier than Nathalie had expected, slipping into the confident sexuality of Luna Moth without being transformed.

Gabriel stared at her for a moment, and then he was across the room and upon her, grabbing at her face to kiss every inch of it while frantically trying to undress the both of them without interruption. “You’re back, you’re here, you’re real,” he kept murmuring between kisses.

“I’m yours,” Nathalie added, pressing her now bare chest against Gabriel’s. “Entirely yours.”

Gabriel flipped Nathalie over on the bed, and she could feel his reaction as he saw his name on her back for the first time. Wordlessly, reverently, he trailed a finger over his signature, and the effect this had on his emotions nearly drove Nathalie out of her mind. Gabriel leaned down and pressed his lips to the mark, while winding his hands around Nathalie and caressing her breasts, her stomach, her hips. He began to push the last of her clothing off, and then there was a sudden flash of hesitation. “Emilie?”

It took Nathalie a moment to understand Gabriel’s meaning. “It’s fine, she doesn’t care, she only cares about keeping it from Adrien.”

“I suppose we’re all in agreement on that, then,” Gabriel muttered. Nathalie arched her back against him, and he groaned, his feelings a heady mix of satisfaction and insatiable desire for more. Nathalie reached for the bedside lamp, and Gabriel immediately reached out and grabbed her wrist, sending a shiver of pleasure down Nathalie’s spine. “Lights on,” Gabriel growled. “I want to finally see you, I want to learn every inch of you.” Gabriel began to kiss his way down Nathalie’s back. The combination of Gabriel’s emotions and Nathalie’s own lust was overwhelming. Nathalie took a deep breath and surrendered herself entirely.

 

* * *

 

“Is it terrible?” Gabriel asked, when they had finally reached the limits of their human bodies and were only capable of laying together, their bodies sweaty and sated and intertwined. “Being bound to Emilie?”

Nathalie considered the question for a moment. “It’s not bad as slavery goes, I suppose,” she finally said. “Emilie doesn’t take advantage of it. And it’s interesting work, most of the time.”

“She doesn’t take advantage of it, but she won’t release you.”

“She can’t.”

“She could let you come home, at least.”

Nathalie sighed. “I think she might, in a few months. She’s complicated, Gabriel. Her emotions are conflicted. One moment she feels sorry for me, or guilty about her power over me, but then she remembers Adrien and it just makes her furious all over again. I can hardly blame her, after everything I-” the bond froze Nathalie’s tongue before she even realized she was in dangerous territory. She cleared her throat. “That is, after I made the city so dangerous for Adrien. I know Emilie’s not much of a mother, but she loves him fiercely in her own way.” Nathalie propped her head up on Gabriel’s chest and looked into his eyes. “I do, too,” she said. “How has he been?”

“Adrien? Fine,” Gabriel said. “Straight As, and top of his fencing league. He’s had more free time since the akuma attacks stopped,” he added, grinning slightly. “Fewer reschedules.”

“Is Paris back to being safe and boring, then?” Nathalie asked carefully. “Ladybug and Chat Noir haven’t had to face any real dangers since I left?”

“Oh, nothing too serious. There was a fire a few weeks ago, I think. Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to those news reports. I didn’t realize you had any interest in keeping tabs on your old nemeses.”

Nathalie considered her words. “I suppose I feel guilty for what I put them through as well.”

Gabriel sighed impatiently. “Haven’t you punished yourself long enough, Nathalie?”

“Most of Paris would probably say no,” Nathalie replied. “Besides, it’s not up to me, it’s up to Emilie.”

Gabriel tightened his embrace, pressing Nathalie’s body to his own. “Not for long,” he said. “I’m going to find a way to free you from her for good.”

A jolt of panic struck Nathalie’s heart. “No, Gabriel. You’ll only make her angry.”

“It’s the bond making you say that. You want to be free of her, you must.”

“It’s not about what I want,” Nathalie protested. “Emilie said there was no way to break it, and she wasn’t lying. I can tell when people are lying. Please Gabriel, for me, please drop this. Let’s just enjoy what time we have together, alright?”

Nathalie could feel Gabriel’s frustration. “Alright,” he said, and Nathalie could tell he was lying.

“Promise me, Gabriel. I can’t lose this, I can’t lose you.”

Gabriel took a deep breath, and slowly Nathalie felt his resolve weaken. “I promise,” he said. He pressed his lips to the top of Nathalie’s head. “You won’t lose me.”

“Thank you.” Nathalie kissed Gabriel’s chest, then settled back into lying beside him. “Merry Christmas, Gabriel.”

“Merry Christmas, Nathalie.”


	9. Chapter 9

Emilie frowned at the check in her hands. “This is far more than we agreed upon, Mr. Ramirez.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t let him give you a penny less,” Mrs. Ramirez said emphatically, clutching her husband’s arm and leaning forward on the couch Nathalie had shown them both to in Emilie’s latest hotel suite. “After everything you did for our Samantha, I couldn’t-oh!” The woman covered her mouth in a fruitless attempt to muffle her sobs. On the other side of the room, Nathalie sighed to herself and silently reached into her desk drawer for her bottle of aspirin. “We’re so grateful, Mrs. Agreste, so eternally grateful.”

“Samantha freed herself from her kidnappers,” Emilie said firmly. “It was her bravery that made it possible. She deserves most of the credit, I assure you. Nathalie, bring the Ramirezes some tea.”

“Of course.” Nathalie quickly swallowed her pills, stood, and crossed to the suite’s small kitchenette.

“But you were the one who gave her those powers,” Mr. Ramirez said. Nathalie recognized him vaguely from the news. He was some prominent American politician, rich enough and well connected enough to be able to hire Emilie despite having no magic whatsoever. “Or, well,” he glanced over at Nathalie, and Nathalie felt his guard go up. “Your associate,” he said carefully. Apparently Emilie’s insistence on discretion had moved the man to avoid any mention of Luna in front of, well, Luna. Nathalie would have been amused, if the Ramirezes’ emotions weren’t giving her a splitting migraine. “You must thank her for us as well.”

“I’ll be sure to pass it along.”

“If there’s anything I can do for either of you-”

“You’ve done more than enough, Senator. Just focus on taking care of that brave girl of yours. Oh, and if you could keep my name out of any interviews or police reports-”

“There won’t be any of either,” Mr. Ramirez said darkly. “Not from us, at any rate. I suppose whoever knows Samantha’s kidnappers might file a missing person’s report. Nobody will find enough of them to file anything else, I assure you.”

“You’re a mother,” Mrs. Ramirez said. “Surely you understand.”

Emilie nodded. “I do,” she said, as Nathalie walked over with the tea. “Thank you, Nathalie. Take care of this, would you?” Nathalie put the mugs down and took the envelope from Emilie, grateful for a reason to leave the room.

Emilie’s records had been a mess two months ago. Now, thanks to Nathalie’s organizational skills, they were immaculate. It took Nathalie no time at all to record the payment in Emilie’s spreadsheet of jobs, mark the Ramirez case as completed, and place the check in the room’s safe. Nathalie kicked off her heels, flopped down on her bed, and grabbed her book from her nightstand.

“How does it feel?” Emilie asked, appearing at the door about ten minutes later. “Being a hero?”

“Does it count if it’s under duress?” Nathalie asked, not looking up.

“Oh, come on, Nathalie, I’m curious.”

Nathalie shrugged and put the book aside. “Not as good as I hoped it would, I suppose. It’s incredibly draining.”

“It _is_ , isn’t it? Now you know why I quit.” Emilie had her own bed, but she sat down next to Nathalie on hers instead. “Want to watch a movie?”

“I suppose,” Nathalie said unenthusiastically. She leaned her head against Emilie’s shoulder. “You pick.”

Emilie grabbed the remote from the side table and began to flick through the on-demand options. “You know,” she said, and Nathalie was surprised to feel a touch of uncertainty from her, “I was thinking about taking some time off. With the extra money from this last job, maybe a month? We could go home.”

“To Paris?”

“Would you like that? And, I don’t know, maybe it would be nice to take Adrien somewhere just the two of us, for a little vacation. Greece, or Italy, for a week. It’s been so long since we had real quality time together. And you and Gabriel would have the place to yourself, of course.”

Nathalie swallowed. “I would like that, yes,” she whispered.

“Then it’s settled,” Emilie said, selecting an action movie. “We’ll leave tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

Nathalie didn’t bother waiting for Adrien to fall asleep. He was still confused by Nathalie’s arrangement with Emilie, but he’d accepted that nobody was going to bother explaining it to him. He’d grown used to it, and to their random, sporadic visits back to Paris. If Adrien caught Nathalie sneaking around the halls, she doubted he’d even bother asking her what she was doing.

Nathalie lay down on Gabriel’s bed and pulled out her phone. _I miss you_ , she texted him. Two seconds later, she felt his emotional rush downstairs, and heard his rapid footsteps. “Gabriel,” she breathed, as he entered the room.

“Has she finally released you, then?” Gabriel asked. He crossed the room and took Nathalie’s hands in his. “Are you free?”

“For a month,” Nathalie said. She smiled, but Gabriel didn’t return it. Nathalie could feel his heart harden. “Gabriel, please don’t waste the time we have together being angry.”

“I have no intention of wasting the time we have together,” Gabriel said. He kissed the tips of her fingers fervently, before leaning down and kissing Nathalie proper. His desperation was palpable, and Nathalie kissed him back just as desperately. It was always like this every visit, it always took Gabriel a little while before he could let go of his anger at the situation. Eventually, though, the euphoria of being reunited with his soulmate would overwhelm all other concerns.

Well, that’s how it usually went, anyway. This time, though, as Nathalie began to peel his jacket off, she felt a steely determination at the center of him. “What’s wrong, Gabriel?”

“You’re so beautiful,” Gabriel whispered. He began to kiss his way down her neck, biting lightly at her collarbone.

“Something’s wrong, Gabriel, I can feel it.”

“No.” Gabriel wrapped his arms around Nathalie’s waist and pulled her body tightly against his. “No, after tonight nothing will be wrong ever again.”

Nathalie frowned. “Gabriel, you’re starting to scare me.”

Gabriel hesitated a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a long silver chain with a red stone dangling from the end. “Put this on.”

Something was very, very wrong. “No,” Nathalie said. “Not unless you tell me what it is.”

“Just trust me.” Nathalie tried to pull away, but Gabriel’s arm was still wrapped around her waist and he held her in place easily. “Nathalie, please.”

“What the hell is that thing, Gabriel?”

“Keep your voice down,” Gabriel whispered urgently. “Just-this can all be over, I found a way to end this nightmare, it’s taken me months but I finally-”

“No. No, no, no,” Nathalie began to shake her head and pull away more desperately. Gabriel tried to put the chain over Nathalie’s head, but she twisted in his embrace. “Emilie wouldn’t like this, Emilie wouldn’t like this, just put that thing away now and I won’t have to tell her, Gabriel. Gabriel, please, I can’t lose you!”

“You can’t lose what you don’t have,” Gabriel replied harshly, “and as long as you’re bound to her we can’t truly belong to each other. This isn’t you fighting me, it’s that damn bond. Just hold still and-” Nathalie slapped Gabriel across the face and tried once more to escape his hold. The two of them stumbled, still locked together, and banged into the nightstand. Gabriel’s lamp fell over with a loud crash.

“She’s giving us a month together, Gabriel! Why can’t that-”

“A month? Do you hear yourself? You’re her _slave_ , and you expect me to be grateful-” Nathalie tried to hit Gabriel again, but he caught her wrist with the hand holding the chain. “Nathalie, stop fighting this and you’ll be free in seconds. It’s no use resisting, I’m far stronger than you are.”

“Like this, maybe,” Nathalie said. Her mouth opened and said the words without Nathalie deciding to say them at all, without her even realizing what she was about to say. “Nooroo, dark wings rise!” All the blood drained from Gabriel’s face as Nathalie transformed into Luna. She easily overpowered Gabriel, twisting out of his hold before taking her cane and pressing him against the wall, holding him in place. “Give me the necklace,” she hissed.

“Nathalie, you don’t want this, you can’t-”

“Father? I heard something break, are you-”

Luna’s heart sank as Adrien entered the room, as she felt his shock and horror. She whirled around. “Adrien, no, it’s not what you-” Gabriel tried once more to throw the chain around Luna’s neck, and Luna’s hand shot out on instinct, grabbing Gabriel’s wrist and twisting it back. Gabriel gasped in pain, and Luna felt Adrien’s fear give way to resolve. “No, Adrien, please-”

“Plagg, claws out!”

Luna blocked Chat’s baton just in time. She just barely managed to grab the chain from Gabriel’s grasp before Chat forced her back. “Adrien, please listen-”

“Father, run! I’ll hold her off!”

Gabriel was frozen in place, staring at his son, dread rising in his chest. “Adrien? You… you’re Chat Noir?”

“Not really the time, Father!” Chat attacked Luna again, and again she barely dodged. “Why aren’t you fighting back, coward? Too scared without an akumatized kid to hide behind?”

“Adrien, I don’t want to hurt you, please stop and listen to me, I wasn’t-”

The door to the bedroom flew open once more, and Luna was slammed forcefully against the wall, all the breath knocked out of her. “Adrien, I have this under control,” Emilie said calmly, holding her hand up as she froze Luna in place. “What happened?”

“She was attacking Father,” Chat said, his breathing heavy. He glared at Luna. “I don’t know why.”

Emilie raised an eyebrow. “Gabriel?”

“It was a misunderstanding,” Gabriel said. “Luna wasn’t attacking me at all. You and Adrien can leave.”

Emilie scoffed, then turned to Luna. “Luna, drop your transformation,” she ordered, as she released her magical hold.

Luna opened her mouth and tried to protest. “Nooroo, wings down.” She couldn’t bear to look at Adrien, but she felt the shock of her identity hit him all the same.

“Now, what on earth were you doing?” Emilie asked, crossing her arms.

Nathalie took a breath. “He was trying to put this on me,” she said immediately, holding up the chain and pendant. “I wasn’t strong enough to stop him without transforming.”

Emilie stepped forward, then froze. “Who the hell gave you that?” she asked, her voice pure ice. Nathalie felt Emilie’s mild confusion give way to terror, then rage.

Gabriel straightened defensively. “It’s none of your-”

“Gabriel Agreste, you will tell me _now_ what sorcerer was idiotic enough to sell you that thing without telling you what it would do,” Emilie said. She snatched it from Nathalie’s hand and whirled on her husband.

“You enslaved my soulmate, Emilie!” Gabriel shouted. “What the hell was I supposed to do, just stand aside and let her die a little more every day you kept her from living her life, from-”

“Better than killing her outright, which this thing almost certainly would have done!” Emilie threw the amulet to the ground angrily. “Along with me, and probably you as well thanks to your damn soul bond.”

“Emilie, please,” Nathalie said, her voice small, “I’m sure he’s sorry, can’t we just forget this-”

“Nathalie, leave this room before I do something to you I’ll regret,” Emilie snapped. “You, too, Adrien. I need to make a few things _painfully_ clear for your father, and I don’t need witnesses.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Chat said angrily. “Not until someone in this house for once in my life actually explains what the hell is going on!”

Nathalie didn’t hear Emilie’s response. Her feet were moving of their own accord, propelling her out of the room as fast as they could the second Emilie had given the order. She didn’t recover control of herself until she was in the hallway. Nathalie took a shaky breath, then grabbed at the wall for support. Slowly, she made her way downstairs, to the sitting room, where she sank into a couch and tried not to think about anything.

Nathalie couldn’t make out anything Emilie or Gabriel were saying upstairs, but she could hear their angry shouting and feel their emotions as clear as day. They were both furious. They were both terrified.

“Nathalie?”

Nathalie looked up. “Oh. Adrien,” she said weakly. “Come in.”

Frowning, Adrien walked over to the couch and sat down at the other end. “You’re… you’re Luna? The whole time, it was you?”

Nathalie nodded. “I’m so sorry, Adrien,” she said miserably. “If I’d had any idea you were Chat, I would have stopped sooner, I swear.”

“But why? Why be Luna at all?”

“I was trying to get Emilie back. For your father. And you.”

Adrien’s eyes darted up, towards the sound of his parents shouting. “Mission accomplished,” he said wryly.

Nathalie cracked half a smile. “I guess so,” she said. “You don’t… you don’t hate me?”

Adrien shrugged. “It’s pretty messed up,” he said. “But, well… I really like being Chat. And I guess that wouldn’t have happened without you. So. Yeah. You’re forgiven, I guess.”

“Thank you.” Something shattered upstairs, and Nathalie winced.

“So… Father said Mom enslaved you? Is that right?” Nathalie wrapped her arms around herself. The bond wouldn’t let her answer, but a few moments of silence was answer enough for Adrien. “Jesus. Why?”

“To stop me. Or punish me, maybe. She… she loves you so much, Adrien, I can feel how much she loves you, and when she found out a supervillain was attacking you-”

“Nathalie.” Nathalie turned to see Emilie standing at the doorway. “Come. Now.”

“Mom, no,” Adrien said, as Nathalie rose and began to leave. “We have to talk about this, for once we all have to sit down and _talk_ , maybe we can-”

“I have tried talking to your father, Adrien, and he simply refuses to listen to reason,” Emilie said. “I am not giving him another second of opportunity to get me killed. Once I’ve taken care of things, I will come back and explain everything I can to you Adrien, I promise. Nathalie, we’re leaving.” She grabbed Nathalie’s arm, and a second later the world had fallen away.

Nathalie blinked, startled at the sudden bright light. Once her vision began to clear, she looked around. They were in a hotel lobby, and stray guests and bellhops were staring at them, clearly taken aback by their appearance out of thin air. “Emilie, what are we-”

“Quiet. No questions, no talking. You say nothing, you do what you’re told. Understand?” Nathalie nodded silently, and followed Emilie to the elevators. “You can tell I’m not lying when I say that Gabriel almost killed all of us tonight, can’t you?” Nathalie nodded again, and they both got on the elevator. “He won’t stop, he won’t give up.” Emilie pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration before pressing a button. “If there was a way to break it, I would,” Emilie continued. “It’s far more trouble than it’s worth at this point. But I can’t. The best I can do is put you where Gabriel can’t find you.”

Nathalie’s heart caught in her throat. She tried to say something, anything, but of course she couldn’t. All she could do was follow helplessly as Emilie stormed down the hall and knocked at a door.

It took Nathalie a moment before she recognized the young, purple-haired assistant who answered. “Emilie!” Penny said, delighted. “Why, to whatever do we owe the pleasure?”

“You want her? She’s yours.” Emilie grabbed Nathalie’s arm and practically flung her at Penny. “I want her out of this world, Lady Pennyroyal. I don’t care what you do with her once she’s in yours.”

Penny’s eyes lit up. “Oh,” she breathed, “I would be more than happy to take her for you.” Before Nathalie had any idea what was going on, Penny shut the door in Emilie’s face. “Oh, yes, you’ll be _such_ a hit at Court,” she said. There was something funny about Penny’s eyes all of a sudden, the shape of her ears, her teeth. Grinning, Penny went up on her toes and pressed her lips to Nathalie’s forehead, and everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

The air was sweet and wrong. There were hands everywhere, and it took Nathalie a while before she thought to open her eyes and see who they belonged to. Penny was hovering over her, and she lit up when Nathalie’s eyes met hers. “Oh, you’re awake!” she said, delighted. There were bells in her voice, and Nathalie knew instinctively that this was Penny’s real voice, that the voice she’d heard before was just a mask, a pale shadow. “Don’t worry, we’re almost done.”

Nathalie looked down. She was dressed in the thinnest gauze she’d ever seen in her life, and every inch of her skin was covered in fine paint, golden vines and flowers and-oh, for heaven’s sake-butterflies that seemed to come to life every time Nathalie so much as twitched. Two of Penny’s assistants were finishing up the touches of paint on Nathalie’s now-bare feet, and out of the corner of her eye Nathalie could see two more braiding flowers into her loose hair.

“Why are you doing all this?” Nathalie asked. Her voice sounded strange as well, like Nathalie was hearing it in a dream.

“You want to make a good impression on the king, don’t you?”

“She’s already done that,” the fairy on Nathalie’s left said, and the other three laughed in delight.

“Hush,” Penny chided. She tucked the red lock of Nathalie’s hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about all that, it was  _ ever _ so amusing. That’s the most important thing at Court, to be amusing.” She leaned in, her nose almost in Nathalie’s hair, and breathed deeply. “Oh, yes, you’re ready.”

Nathalie stood, and the painted butterflies on her skin fluttered. “Why don’t I feel naked?” she wondered aloud.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Penny asked, delighted. “The Fae world doesn’t tolerate petty mortal concerns like modesty or morality. You shed all that nonsense when you cross over to Jagged’s kingdom. I feel so much lighter every time I come back from Paris.”

“Huh.” Nathalie had the brief, nagging sense that this information should bother her, and then it was gone. “Where’s my brooch?”

Penny wrinkled her nose. “It’s tied to your realm,” she said. “Probably for the best. Do you miss it?”

“No.”

A bell rang out, its chimes clear and deep as a hidden woodland pool, and Penny’s attendants all clapped and let out cries of excitement. “It’s time, it’s time!” They grabbed at Nathalie’s hands and pulled her along, then pushed her out of the small heavily curtained room she’d woken up in and into a lush glen. Nathalie had little time to consider her surroundings as she walked through it, but she could feel all sorts of curious eyes on her as she made her way to the center. There was a throne, empty and ancient and covered with so much moss that Nathalie wondered if it had just grown up out of the ground one day. It was surrounded by a ridge of purple rocks, curved around it in a semicircle. Nathalie took a step inside the circle and felt a hot puff of air hit her bare ankle. Nathalie looked down.

A large green eye blinked up at her.

“Gorgeous, isn’t he love?” a voice right next to Nathalie’s ear said. She whirled around and found herself face to face with Jagged Stone. She’d met him before, of course, his path had crossed hers at the occasional fundraiser or publicity event, but Jagged Stone in the Fae realm was another creature altogether. A confidence radiated from him, an entitlement that was breathtakingly sure of itself. Nathalie was certain the rocks themselves would obey Jagged while he was in this domain.

The rocks, and the things that turned out to decidedly  _ not _ be rocks.

“Fang, up,” Jagged said, and grinned at Nathalie’s shocked expression as the rocks around them began to shift and move. Before Nathalie could piece together what was happening, she was staring up at a giant dragon. “You’ve met him before, of course,” Jagged added, amused.

Slowly, Nathalie nodded. “Yes. Now I see… no wonder it was so easy for me to transform him in Paris.”

“He adored it,” Jagged said, winding an arm around Nathalie’s waist, “and so did I. What a lovely diversion Guitar Villain was. It’s so rare I’m afforded the opportunity to really be myself in the mortal realms.”

Nathalie placed her hand over Jagged’s and closed her eyes, basking a bit in the warmth of his touch. “Emilie didn’t… I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

“She gave you to me,” Jagged replied. “Any idea why?”

“My soulmate tried to break her hold on me.”

Jagged laughed, and the sound was filled with broken glass. “I see. She’s hiding you here then, where he can’t find you.” Nathalie frowned. “Don’t be sad, pet. It’s a great honor for a mortal, to belong to me. So many of your kind have wasted their lives away trying to belong to me. I can give you anything you want.”

“I want Gabriel,” Nathalie whispered.

Jagged wrapped his other arm around Nathalie, and she melted into his embrace. “I should be offended by that,” he said. “I’m quite dangerous when I’m offended, you know.”

Nathalie sighed. “I don’t know anything.”

“You don’t, do you? How charming. Most mortals who make it this far know at least something of what they’re getting into. Not enough, of course, never enough.” Jagged laughed again, shattered glass again. He kept his hands on Nathalie’s waist, but pulled away from her a bit so he could examine her soulmark. “Gabriel Agreste,” Jagged read aloud. “I remember him. His signature’s as arrogant as the rest of him, isn’t it?” Jagged traced a finger over it, the way Gabriel himself had so many times. “We don’t get soulmates here very often. Soulmates are tethers. It’s so hard to find your way to this land if something ties you to the mortal realm.”

“I can still feel him,” Nathalie said. “Please.”

“I can’t give you Gabriel, not unless someone gives him to me first. There are rules, of course. There’s so much else, though, so much in my power to give you. Come.” Jagged let go of Nathalie’s waist and took her hand, gently guiding her along. “Let me show you my kingdom.”

Jagged and Nathalie wandered through the Fae lands for hours, or days, or weeks. Nathalie couldn’t tell. Everything was green and summer, everyone was delighted to see her, to touch her, every face was a knowing and dangerous smile, every breath of air was like a drug.

“Dance with me,” Jagged commanded, and Nathalie danced. It was night, it was day, and Nathalie twirled at the center of the fairy king’s revelers.

“Eat,” Jagged commanded, and Nathalie ate. “Drink,” and Nathalie drank. Everything was a dream. Time didn’t stop, it merely ceased to exist.

“Isn’t this lovely?” Jagged asked, and it was.

“Don’t you want to be mine forever?” Jagged asked, and Nathalie didn’t.

“I have a present for you,” Jagged said. It was afternoon, Nathalie thought, it had been afternoon for a few days now, and they were lying together in a sunlit meadow filled with every kind of flower known to man or Fae. Jagged’s head lay in Nathalie’s lap and as he spoke his eyes flashed. For the first time since Nathalie had arrived in his kingdom, she felt a chill. “Eternal beauty.”

Nathalie frowned. “I don’t-”

“Of course you want it,” Jagged interrupted. “What a boring lie.”

“Alright,” Nathalie said slowly. “Perhaps...but I shouldn’t accept it. It sounds dangerous.”

“Refusing a gift from your gracious king might be far more dangerous, pet.” Jagged took Nathalie’s hand in his, his grip tight. “Don’t be rude.”

There were no walls in Jagged’s kingdom, but Nathalie was trapped all the same. “Alright. I accept.”

“Say, ‘thank you’.”

“Thank you,” Nathalie whispered. Jagged laughed, and this time it wasn’t just glass that was breaking, it was the world, it was everything, everything was shattering into a million tiny pieces, and Nathalie wanted more than anything to run as far as her legs would take her, but she didn’t have legs anymore, and she couldn’t move, and she couldn’t feel, and she couldn’t want.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel Agreste didn’t look up as his wife entered his office, unannounced and uninvited. “I told the new assistant not to let you anywhere on the premises.”

“Don’t be childish, Gabriel,” Emilie snapped. “It’s very immature of you, making me bewitch your secretary just to talk to you, but it’s nothing to me to do it if I have to.”

“What do you want?”

“I want you to stop wasting your time and money,” Emilie said. “Your little team of private investigators wasn’t able to find me when I disappeared, and they won’t be able to find Nathalie, either. Let her go.”

“Bring her back,” Gabriel said, his voice tight and controlled.

“No.”

“Then we have nothing more to discuss.” Gabriel continued to sketch in silence for a few minutes. “What?”

“How is Adrien?” Emilie asked.

“Ask him yourself.”

Emilie sighed. “He’s still not speaking to me.”

“You know how to fix that.”

“You almost killed her, Gabriel!” Gabriel finally looked up. “How many times do I have to-”

“Don’t pretend to care about Nathalie,” Gabriel interrupted. “If you cared about her, you’d bring her home and release her.”

“I can’t!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I suppose I’m forced to take you at your word when you claim the bond is unbreakable, but if you brought her home and left, if you gave her no more orders, if you let her live her life in peace, that would be enough. I give you my word, I won’t try to break it again if you just let her go.”

Emilie shook her head. “No. You don’t understand. It’s not… It’s no longer in my power to bring her home.”

Gabriel’s face went white. “Something not in the power of the great Emilie Agreste? Impossible.”

“Unlike you, Gabriel,” Emilie spat, “I am very,  _ very _ aware of my exact limitations. Nathalie isn’t coming home. Just move on and stop… stop…” Emilie’s gaze fell on the four empty water glasses on Gabriel’s desk and she trailed off, frowning. “Why are you drinking so much water?”

“What?” Gabriel looked at the empty glasses. “Oh. I don’t know. I’ve been feeling dehydrated lately. Does it matter?”

“I don’t know,” Emilie murmured. “It’s… odd. It might mean something.”

“Mean what?” Emilie shrugged, and Gabriel glared. “If you’re not going to be helpful, you can just-oh, for heaven’s sake, what is the point of even having an assistant?” Gabriel said, annoyed, as his office door opened yet again. “This was supposed to be an uninterrupted hour of work, and instead-Mr. Stone?” Gabriel stood and frowned, confused. “Did you have an appointment? I didn’t realize you were back in Paris.”

“Oh, I’m not officially back, mate,” Jagged said cheerfully. “Just wanted a look at you.”

Gabriel’s frown deepened. “Ah. Well. Allow me to introduce-Emilie, what on earth are you doing?” he asked, looking at his wife kneeling, her head bowed.

“We’ve met,” Jagged said.

“Always an honor, your highness,” Emilie murmured.

“Emilie, get up, you look ridiculous,” Gabriel said impatiently.

“Gabriel,” Emilie said slowly, “I know there isn’t an atom of self-preservation in your body but when a sorceress you consider to be all-powerful shows deference to someone, maybe you could for once in your life just shut up and follow suit?” Emilie stood. “Your highness, allow me to present my husband, Gabriel Agreste. What can we do for you?”

“Oh, that’s very kind, love, after that generous present you made of your little pet supervillain, to ask if there’s anything more you can do for me. Like I said, though, just came to get a look at the other half. Matching sets are so nice, aren’t they?”

Gabriel’s jaw dropped. “Emilie, you… you gave Nathalie to a  _ rock star _ ?”

“I gave her to the King of the Fae,” Emilie corrected, “after you made it clear that you were a danger to her as long as she stayed in this world.” Emilie cleared her throat nervously. “How, um, may I ask, how is she?”

“Mmm. Never better, you might say. Picture of health.”

Emilie’s face fell, and she glanced again at the empty glasses on the desk. “Oh?” she asked carefully.

“Give her back,” Gabriel said. Jagged’s eyebrows went up.

“Gabriel! He meant no disrespect, highness, he just-”

“Please, I’d do anything, just name-ow!” Gabriel winced as Emilie grabbed his arm and dug her nails into his flesh. She yanked him to her side frantically.

“Do  _ not _ ,” Emilie hissed into Gabriel’s ear, “make promises to a Fae, not without setting the terms very carefully, not if you value Nathalie’s life, not if you don’t want Adrien to lose another parent, do you understand me Gabriel?” Gabriel has never known Emilie to be scared of anything in her life, but there was a note of urgent terror in her voice now. He nodded, and Emilie released him. “Your highness,” she said carefully, turning back to Jagged, “might we...discuss the terms of Nathalie’s stay in your kingdom?”

“Terms?” Jagged leaned against the door and crossed his arms. “She was a gift. Gifts don’t have terms.”

“No, of course not,” Emilie agreed. “However, I… well, I might have been acting a bit rash when I gave her to you. Perhaps some other gift, something within my power, our power, might interest you more?”

“I doubt it,” Jagged said. “She’s very interesting, isn’t she?”

Emilie let out a defeated sigh. “She is.”

“Could I see her?” Gabriel asked, his voice small. “Just for a moment?”

Jagged’s eyes lit up. “I’d be happy to show her to you,” he said. He waved his hand, and a rose of deep purple appeared before Gabriel and Emilie. Gabriel reached for it, but his fingers passed through. “See, not touch,” Jagged said. “My illusions are limited in the mortal realm.”

The rose rotated, revealing a single blood red petal among the dark purple. Understanding dawned on Emilie first, and she gasped. The pieces fell into place for Gabriel a few seconds later. He looked back at Jagged, glaring. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing she didn’t agree to.”

“She agreed to  _ this _ ?” Gabriel demanded angrily.

“As much as anyone she akumatized agreed to what she did to them, yes.” Jagged grinned. “The prize of my garden for eternity. She’s lucky, isn’t she?”

Gabriel took a step towards Jagged, but Emilie held him back with a touch to the shoulder. “Highness,” she said carefully, “I believe your magic is infecting Gabriel through his bond with Nathalie. Surely you agree that’s unfair? Gabriel doesn’t belong to you, after all.”

“He would if you gave him to me,” Jagged said. “I would love a matching set. I wonder what sort of rose he’d make? All thorns, I expect.”

“Would you turn her back, if Emilie gave me to you?” Gabriel asked desperately.

“Quiet,” Emilie snapped. “For God’s sake, let me handle this, would you?”

Jagged’s grin faded. “Oh,” he said. “Oh, oh, oh, you’re  _ devastated _ , aren’t you?” He frowned at Gabriel. “Oh, no. Now I feel guilty. How wretched. That’s not fair at all. She’s  _ mine _ . I’m allowed.”

“Your highness, surely some kind of arrangement-“

“No,” Jagged interrupted Emilie, pouting slightly. “No, not here, I won’t negotiate in a realm where I can feel something as base and mortal as guilt. It wouldn’t be fair. We can discuss it in my kingdom. Yes, that would be much better. We’ll settle it at the Midsummer Ball.”

“That’s months from now,” Gabriel said. “Couldn’t we-“

“Oh, I’ll turn her back,” Jagged said impatiently. “It wouldn’t be fair to keep her as she is, not for now. I was getting bored of it anyway. I can turn her again once I’ve got both of you.” He walked over and lightly kissed Emilie’s cheeks, then Gabriel’s, as they both stared at him in shock. “Au revoir, pets.”

Gabriel and Emilie stared at the empty space Jagged had vanished from in silence for a few moments. “What do we do now?” Gabriel finally asked.

Emilie bit her lip. “Now? Now I spend a few months trying to frantically teach you everything I know about Fae realms. Hopefully by Midsummer you’ll know enough to survive.”


End file.
